Google to Allow Spotify to Bill Users inside Its App

Google has announced that music streaming service Spotify will be able to bill Android users directly in the Spotify app without having to go through Google Play's billing system.

Spotify has become Google's first partner in the User Choice Billing feature. It allows users to choose their own preferred payment method.

The new feature does not exempt developers from the percentage they have to give to Google. However, it will be four per cent less. This way, Spotify will take payments directly from users, while Google will charge Spotify.

Spotify said in a blog post that Google has taken a "bold step to help level the playing field," and that "fair and open platforms" bring "frictionless consumer experiences."

Spotify is beginning initial testing of user choice billing for users in some countries. Google has also said that the Bumble app will add support for the new feature in the coming months.

Google's User Choice Billing is a pilot program which is currently available in 35 countries, including the US, most of Europe, Australia, Japan and others.