Online dating giant Match Group will begin an antitrust lawsuit in San Francisco federal court in which it closely monitors Google's app store, the two companies said on Tuesday.
Search giant Match; The settlement between Google, the owner of sites like Tinder and Hinge, resolves allegations that it harmed competition through its app store rules. This allows Match Group to offer users alternative ways to pay for in-app content without having to use Google's own payment channels.
The agreement shows how Google could reduce the number of defendants it faces in the upcoming trial, which is expected to begin on Monday. Last month, 52 attorney general groups agreed to end their participation after the terms of the deal, which have not yet been made public.
In a well-known experiment in the control that app store owners can exert over app developers, Epic Games has left Google as its remaining adversary.
Developer complaints about high app store fees charged by app store owners such as Google have risen to a fever pitch in recent years, and in 2020, along with related allegations of other restrictive app store rules, Epic Games sued Apple and Google in two closely watched antitrust cases. The Apple case may soon be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
Last year, Match filed its own lawsuit against Google, merging the search giant.
The outcome of app store cases could shape the careers of app developers and determine the flow of billions of dollars in economic activity.
As part of the settlement with Match, Google agreed to include Match's apps in its user-choice billing program, which it launched last year to a small number of Android developers.
The program will allow Match to offer its own payment channels to users of in-app payments that are cheaper than what Google pays for subscriptions and one-time payments, according to a Match shareholder letter on Tuesday.
Match's apps will continue to support Google's payment channels at checkout, and payments made through those channels will incur Google's standard in-app payment fee of 15% for subscriptions and 30% for individual purchases, the letter said. However, the in-app fees associated with Match's channels will be 11% and 26% respectively.
Additionally, the $40 million bond for the lawsuit will be returned to Match, the letter said.
"We are pleased to have reached a settlement with Match Group," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. "This ensures that we can continue to provide the secure, seamless and high-quality experience people expect from apps on Google Play, while maintaining Google's ability to invest in the Android ecosystem and throughout the entire app lifecycle."
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney remained defiant on the match-fixing.
"Epic is going to sue Google alone," Sweeney wrote in X.
"We reject Google's so-called 'user-choice billing,' which allows Google to control, monitor, and tax payments between users and developers."
