With the launch of several tablets and smartphones, Android Marketplace witnessed a boom, last year. Despite its success, Google is “unhappy” with lacklustre sales of paid apps in the Market, says Eric Chu, Android’s platform manager. Speaking from the Inside Social Apps conference held in San Francisco earlier this week, Chu went on to give a very broad outline of Google’s plan for the Android market in 2011.
Beginning this year, the Android will be in-app payment system. This system will allow developers to sell products and services from within the app as well as allowing users to pay for the apps themselves. According to Chu, the new payment platform will work on the majority of Android devices currently available in the market.
He added that, “helping developers monetize” was an important goal for Android and this new payment system would be a significant step towards that goal. The in-app payment will launch soon and to assist users in making payments. Google would be instituting billing arrangements with carriers, similar to the arrangement it already has with AT&T. Carrier billing would be the “lowest-friction models”, however other methods of payment would also be utilised in the future.
In spite of Android’s openness and general acceptance of apps of all colours and creeds, a team of Android professionals would deal with removing apps that violate the Market’s terms of service. Additionally, steps are being taken to implement better security measures that would ensure malware could not infect your Android phone.
Good job Google, we look forward to a better Android Marketplace.
