Google halts KakaoTalk updates on Play Store in Korea after messaging app refused to remove its own payment links

According to a local report, Google stopped providing updates to the popular messaging app after it continued to use an external payment link in its app. Developers who sell digital goods and services must use the first-party billing system of the search engine, but the company has been using an external link to its own site.

This is the first time that PlayStore users have been stopped from updating their apps because of the new policy. According to a local media report, KakaoTalk can be updated on other app stores. There are two big questions that need to be answered, one of which is whether or not to stop updates on other apps that provide external payment links.

All developers who sell digital goods and services in their apps are required to use the billing system of the Play store. In order to comply with the payments policy, any app that isn't compliant will be removed from the play store.

In order to comply with South Korea's in-app payment law, which was the first of its kind in the world, the company decided to offer third-party payment options to developers of its apps. The law is often referred to as the anti- Google law.

It is not possible for developers to add links that point to their own websites in their apps, which would allow their users to buy directly, without having to pay for it.

South Korean app developers and content providers have increased their paid subscription and service fees on the Play Store due to the heavy 15-30% commission now required by the company.

South Korean content providers raise service fees in the wake of Google’s in-app payment policy

South Korea has an app payment law that requires operators of app stores to allow third-party payments. The KCC told TechCrunch last month that it would keep an eye on the internet giant to see if they would remove any apps against its new policy.

In order to use a third-party payment system for the South Korea App Store, developers will have to submit a separate binaries for both iPadOS andiOS.

A request for comment about the move was not immediately responded to by the company. Requests for comment were not responded to by the search engine.