Match Group, Google Reaches Deal on App Store Payment Rules

Match Inc. has withdrawn from Alphabet Inc.'s request for an injunction against Google, alleging that Google has made some concessions regarding the app store payment practices requested by Match Group.

The concession includes guaranteeing that Match apps including Tinder and Hinge, will not be rejected or removed from the Google Play store for offering alternatives to Google’s billing system, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Match Inc also said that Google has also agreed to fix certain deficiencies in its billing system, and it will test the system on its applications, along with current payment systems. 

Google plans to challenge Match's allegations in a proceeding in the US District Court in Northern California earlier this month. The proceedings alleged that the fees Google charges for payments made outside of Google's billing system are illegal.

Google and its rival Apple Inc. are facing litigation and regulatory investigations in several countries by requiring apps listed on their app marketplace to use internal payment systems, deducting almost up to 30% of in-app sales in most cases.

Earlier this year, Spotify Technology reached an agreement with Google to offer users an alternative payment method within the app. Google said at the time that Spotify was the first of a few developers to participate in a pilot program that enables alternative billing.