Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin does not seem happy with billing policies of Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. He suggests creating alternatives of Play Store and App Store.
It is rumor that Google is planning to make it necessary for all applications to use billing system of Google. Currently, consumers use third-party payment systems for subscriptions of apps such as Spotify and Netflix. Google is now enforcing all app developers to use Google billing system which will act as a third party. It seems that Apple is also following the IAP or in-app purchases billing system.
Google as a Third Party
After this update Google will become an intermediary between consumers and app developers and consumers will share their billing information with Google, which will pass on subscription payments to app producers after cutting its commission.
Ehereum’s developer Vitalik Buterin is worried about as he asks alternatives. He stated:
“Google is going further in the Apple mandatory-in-app-payment direction. We need more competition in app stores and ultimately mobile phone operating systems, and we need it now. “
Buterin is in the favor of creating decentralized app store to curb scam activities and to prevent from third party influence. He explained:
“Honestly we should just build our own app store and ideally experiment with decentralized reputation systems to push out scams but without that becoming a backdoor for decentralized middlemen.”
Coinbase’s Complaint against Apple
There was also issues going on between Giant Crypto exchange Coinbase and Apple’s App Store. App Store has dismissed two functionalities from Coinbase’s app and Coinbase CEO said Apple is “holding back progress in the world.” Armstrong stated,”I feel like Apple customers should be made aware: the crypto apps you use on iOS are not missing some features you want because the teams haven’t gotten to them, those features are being censored by Apple.”
Armstrong thinks that Apple is repressing progress in crypto space as he said,” I greatly admire Apple as a company, and think they build amazing products, but their restrictions on the app store, in particular around cryptocurrency, are not defensible in my view.”