Google’s slashed Play Store subscription fee still a reduced ‘lagaan’: ADIF

The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), a think tank with more than 440 digital startups, has called Google’s move to slash Play Store commission for apps that offer subscription services nothing but a reduced ‘lagaan‘ (tax).

The development comes after Google on Thursday announced that it is lowering its app store fees for all subscription-based services to 15 per cent from the existing 30 per cent starting January 1, 2022.

In a blogpost Friday, Sameer Samat, Vice-President, Product Management, Google explained that 99 percent of the developers qualify for a service fee of 15 percent or less and these changes were made after learning from and listening to developers across many industries and regions, including developers like Bumble, Calm, Duolingo, PicsArt and Smule, and will help them “build sustainable businesses”.