Through its Google Play Books iOS app, Google has obtained authorization to sell its e-books and audiobooks directly to consumers.
Today’s iOS apps provide complete access to previously purchased content. Let’s say developers have asked for a clear exception to link their iOS app to e-books that are purchased online. The purchases are being made by the people who visit the company’s websites.
According to a quick post on Google’s blog, users will now be able to click on a new “Get book” button in the Google Play Books iOS app, which will take them to the Google Play website to complete their e-book or audiobook purchase.
After that, users can access their recently opened book listings and complete a purchase using their Google Account and stored payment information.
By managing the transaction on its own website, Google may avoid paying Apple a commission (often 30%) on in-app purchases of digital content.
Additionally, users of the iOS app will be able to share their books with a group of family members via Google Play’s Family Library, regardless of whether they use iOS, Android, or the web.
Google appears to have sought for the External Link Account Entitlement exception, which was first made possible by Apple’s 2022 settlement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), a Japanese regulator, in order to make this move possible.
The regulation targets “reader apps,” which are applications created primarily to give users access to digital content such as books, magazines, music, video, or radio. To utilize the entitlement, developers must first ask Apple for further approval before adhering to further guidelines regarding the format of the link, how it appears on the website when an external link is clicked, how the link is referenced in the app’s code and other requirements.
Additionally, it states that after accessing the external link, customers would be prompted to see a full-screen notice alerting them that they are no longer doing business with Apple.
By allowing users to sign up for a subscription on its website, Netflix was one of the first companies to implement the new rule in 2022.
Google did not provide an explanation for its decision to accept direct transactions, although it might have been awaiting the outcome of the legal dispute between Apple and Fortnite creator Epic Games.
Apple was found not to be a monopolist in that case, but it was confirmed that the company would have to permit app developers to link to their own websites if they so desired. In January 2024, the Supreme Court denied the appeal, upholding the lower courts’ initial decision.
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