Last Updated on 25/07/2019 by TDH Publishing (A)
Tinder’s parent company Match Group has just become the latest high-profile software maker to stiff Google, the giant tech, on its 30% free for all Android transactions via Play Store.
To avoid paying the company on in-app purchases of subscriptions to services like Tinder Gold and Tinder Plus, Match Group, the parent company, will now encourage users to enter credit card details directly into Tinder’s systems citing new research by Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter.
This move is quite similar to the one made by the popular video game developer Epic Games, which last year launched the battle royal hit Fortnite for Android via its downloadable launcher to avoid the 30 percent cut. Notably, Tinder is Match Group’s most profitable entity, and between its subscription services and in-app purchase options like paying for the ability to know someone has read your message, the software system is usually one amongst the highest-grossing free apps on both iOS and Android.
“At Match Group, we constantly test new updates and features to offer convenience, control, and choice to our users,” said Justine Sacco in a statement, who is Match Group’s spokesperson. “We will always try to provide options that benefit their experience and offering payment options is one example of this.” After entering your credit card details directly onto Tinder’s servers, the app supposedly defaults to that payment method for any in-app purchases in the future, allowing Tinder to bypass the cut indefinitely. When asked Google about this matter, it was not available at the moment for any views.It’s unclear whether Google will take action against Tinder for trying to skirt the store;
Earlier, Apple has reportedly hindered Spotify’s iOS app by limiting updates when it found out the music streaming service was attempting to bypass the App Store. Google took no action against Epic, however, that was an unclear comparison because Tinder is still being distributed by the Play Store and technically still bound by Google’s terms. Regardless, during the event Google decided to do nothing, that could mean many more apps follow Match Group’s lead in pushing users to give the app maker, and not the Play Store, their credit card details.
