Several Android developers say they’ve recently received letters from Google demanding that they use Google Wallet to process payments. “They told people that if they used other payment services they would be breaking the terms of use,” said developer Si Shen. “Whether it’s right or wrong, we have to follow the rules.”
After Reuters first reported the story, Google denied that it has changed its payments policy. The company says that its terms of use have always allowed developers to use third-party billing services for purchases that aren’t related to app content (such as booking hotel rooms or purchasing physical goods), but the company has always required that developers use Google’s payment processing for additional app content. The company isn’t “cracking down,” but “If [a developer] had been in breach of that, and we had only just noticed, that’s when we would send out a letter.”
