Google Wins Right to Sell Books on iOS Without Apple App Store Fee

Google has been given permission to sell its e-books through the Google Play Books iOS app without paying a commission to Apple. iOS apps can offer access to content previously purchased elsewhere, such as e-books purchased through a website, but developers must request special permission to link iOS app users to their own website where purchases are made.

Image source: blog.google

The Google Play Books app for iOS now includes a “Get Book” button that takes users to the Google Play website, where they can purchase a text or audiobook. The site displays a list of available books, and users can make a purchase using their Google account and stored payment information. By processing the transaction on its site, Google can avoid paying Apple a commission, which typically is 30% for in-app digital content purchases. iOS app users can share books with family members on Google Play, regardless of whether they access the service on iOS, Android, or the web.

To set this mechanism in motion, Google likely applied for an exception under the External Link Account Entitlement program, which Apple initiated as part of the 2022 dispute settlement procedure with the Japanese Fair Trade Commission. The rule applies to “reading apps,” meaning services that provide access to content such as text and audio books, magazines, music, or videos. To obtain such permission, developers submit an application to Apple and agree to follow the established rules. These rules govern the layout of the site that opens when you click on an external link, the formatting of this link, its mention in the app code, and other aspects. It is also supposed to display a full-screen warning that further transactions are made outside the Apple ecosystem.

One of the first companies to receive such permission back in 2022 was the streaming video service Netflix, which offered users the opportunity to subscribe through its website. Google did not explain why it decided to roll out the direct purchase mechanism only now. Perhaps the company was waiting for the outcome of Apple’s lawsuit with Epic Games – in January last year, the US Supreme Court refused to consider the appeal and upheld the decision of the lower courts.