Technology - Google News

Google is closing a loophole for developers to avoid paying its in-app payment tax - Business Insider - Business Insider

Posted: 29 Sep 2020 02:55 AM PDT

Google announced in a blog post on Monday that it's closing a loophole which allows some developers to side-step its 30% tax on in-app payments.
Developers will have until September 31 2021 to integrate Google's billing system.
Google also said it will make it easier for users to install alternative app stores to its own.
The change may mean apps such as Netflix, Spotify, and Tinder which have avoided the 30% fee put up their prices on the Play Store.
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Google said it will clamp down on a loophole that allows big developers like Netflix and Spotify avoid paying 30% commission on in-app payments.

Until now, developers have been able to side-step the 30% commission that comes with using Google's in-app payment system by getting users to enter their card details directly.

Google's vice president for product management, Sameer Samat, wrote in a blog post on Monday that the company was giving "clarity" on its billing policies.

Samat wrote that "all apps selling digital goods" will have until September 30, 2021 to move to Google's billing system.

The upshot is that apps that sell you subscriptions, digital media, or virtual items will have to shift to this system and pay Google's 30% levy, and it may mean an accompanying rise in prices.

Business Insider has approached Spotify, Netflix, and Tinder for comment.

Samat wrote that Google's own apps will also be subject to the commission, and that the changes would only impact less than 3% of developers.

This announcement from Google comes after a drawn-out fight between Apple and developers on a similar mandatory commission on the App Store.

This resulted in major developers including Spotify, Epic Games, and Match Group forming an alliance called the "Coalition for App Fairness" on Thursday. It also comes after Apple waived its usual fee for a Facebook feature in a rare concession.

Epic Games is currently suing both Apple and Google over their fees.

Unlike Apple, which only allows iOS devices to support its App Store, Samat wrote in his blog post that Google plans to make it easier for users to get their apps from places other than the official Play Store.

"We believe that developers should have a choice in how they distribute their apps and that stores should compete for the consumer's and the developer's business," Samat wrote, adding that the release of Android 12 next year will include functionality to make it easier for users to install alternative app stores on their phones.

However, there appears to be some nuance here. Samat suggested that developers would not be able to tell users how to avoid Google's in-app tax within their Google Play app.

He wrote, emphasis ours: "Developers have asked whether they can communicate with their customers directly about pricing, offers, and alternative ways to pay beyond their app via email or other channels.

"To clarify, Google Play does not have any limitations here on this kind of communication outside of a developer's app."

Google's post appears geared towards heading off accusations of anti-competitive behavior.

Developers have complained in the past that Apple wields monopolistic power by only allowing iOS devices to use its App Store, which in turn forces developers to pay its 30% payment commission. Google allows Android users to install apps from stores other than its Play Store, though the Play Store is still the primary way most people access apps.

Google is under particular antitrust scrutiny in the US at the moment, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) getting ready to announce an investigation into the company — though this probe will reportedly focus on Google's dominance as a search engine.

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Lenovo's $2,499 foldable ThinkPad is ready for preorder, joined by its lightest X1 laptop ever - CNET

Posted: 29 Sep 2020 03:00 AM PDT

07-lenovo-thinkpad-x1-folding-prototype — The ThinkPad X1 Fold was a highlight of CES 2020.
Sarah Tew/CNET

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is the future of the PC market. Or not. It really all depends on where you fall on the value of foldable displays. Having a 13.3-inch OLED tablet PC that folds in half is ostensibly cool, as is the option to use it as dual, 9.6-inch screens. You can fold it a little to read it like a book or bend it a bit more so that you're typing on half and working on the other. It's a giant notepad as well as a powerful Windows 10 Pro laptop with Wi-Fi 6 and optional 5G. And it's available for preorder now for $2,499, which is about £1,900 or AU$3,600, converted.

The X1 Fold's accessories are available to preorder, too, and those are really what makes it more interesting than simply a tablet that folds in half. There's the Mod Pen that lets you draw, take notes and sign documents on the Fold. Then there's the Easel Stand that attaches to the back so you can stand the X1 Fold horizontally or vertically. But the Bluetooth Mini Fold Keyboard is probably the most interesting since it stores and charges when set on top of (or inside of) the X1 Fold.

The X1 Nano is the PC maker's lightest ThinkPad ever.
Lenovo

Along with the X1 Fold preorder announcement, Lenovo unveiled its lightest ThinkPad ever, the X1 Nano. Starting at $1,399 (£1,090 or AU$1,978, converted) and available before the end of the year, the 13-inch laptop weighs 1.99 pounds (907 grams) and is built around an 11th-gen Intel Core processor and Iris Xe graphics. It's part of Intel's Evo platform that's a guarantee of sorts that you'll get the best possible mobile experience. Other features include:

Dolby Vision-enabled, 2K-resolution display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 100% sRGB color gamut
Updated suite of AI and biometric security and privacy including voice recognition and presence detection
Window 10 Pro or Ubuntu Linux OS
Wi-Fi 6 and optional 5G wireless
Thunderbolt 4, quad speakers and 360-degree mics

Joining the X1 Nano is a fleet of ThinkBooks covering all kinds of user types. The ThinkBook 13s Gen 2 i with optional 2,560x1,600-resolution display, for instance, seems ideal for anyone who needs a small laptop to work anywhere at anytime. Also part of Intel's Evo platform, the 13.3-inch laptop weighs only 1.3 kilograms (2.8 pounds) but promises all-day battery life, fast charging, instant wake when you lift the lid and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. It'll also be available with AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors.

No, it's not a optical drive. It's a Versa Bay with wireless earbuds.
Lenovo

The ThinkBook 14s Yoga i, the company's first two-in-one ThinkBook, has the same general features of the ThinkBook 13s but with 360-degree hinges attached to its 14-inch full-HD touchscreen with active pen support. But probably the most interesting model is the ThinkBook 15 Gen 2 i. The 15.6-inch laptop is available with a pair of Bluetooth earbuds stored in the built-in Versa Bay offering up to 2 hours of battery life at 70% volume, Lenovo says. Like the others, the ThinkBook 15 will be available with 11th-gen Intel Core processors, but an Nvidia MX450 discrete graphics chip is also an option and AMD processors.

The new ThinkBook models arrive in October and November starting as low as $549.