Google Shares 2011 Android Market Roadmap - Unhappy With Android App Purchases

[dgstorm]

Eric Chu, Google's Mobile Platform Manager, sat down with developers at the Inside Social Apps conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. He shared some of Google's 2011 Roadmap regarding the Android Market. From what he said, paid purchases in the Android Market are not going as well as Google wants, and they intend to make some changes. He didn't go into great detail; however, he did share the following:

• In-app payments system: Mr. Chu indicated that an Android in-app payments system will debut in Q1 2011.
• Improve user discovery of apps in Market: He also said they have a growing human team weeding out apps in violation of the Android Market’s TOS, and that they will continue to tune the Market ranking algorithm making it smoother for users to find the best apps in the Market.
• Carrier billing: Google expects to implement more carrier billing arrangements, like the one it launched with AT&T. In that system, users can bill apps directly to their phone bill. Mr. Chu said, " ...that working with carriers to set up billing was both expensive and time-consuming, but a very valuable feature to users, and one that could help increase the spending on Android apps."
• Getting social: Mr. Chu talked about the Android address book, being “the best social graph” because it's open to developers, and that it combines user contacts from many sources, in addition to Google’s address books.
• HTML5: Chu indicated that Google was “betting on” the new Web standard, HTML5, as a way to create apps.

Chu also shared that the in-app payment system was meant to be implemented last quarter, but " ...developers were busy with their Christmas applications. So we couldn’t get enough feedback.” Ultimately, all this shifting is designed to promote more paid apps being downloaded, and will improve the Market for Google and, importantly, for developers.

Source: Android.net via Forbes
...and TechCrunch

 

[yurdle]

In all honesty I hope carrier billing isn't going to be the only option for buying apps. I'm still on my parents plan and find that would be easier to just use my own credit card to pay for the apps as opposed to paying my parents for paying for my apps...
I don't think they would make that the only method but wouldn't be happy if they did.. I'm not sure how AT&T's market works as far as purchasing.

 

[Larry_ThaGr81]

I'm with you on that Yurdle, my father-in-law is on my wife and I plan and I'm sure he'd much rather just continue to pay with his debit card then to have to pay me $1 here $2 or $3 there for apps he buy from the market.

From what I can see, based on the OP this appears to provide users with another payment option rather replacing the current system.

 

[hookbill]

[*]Carrier billing: Google expects to implement more carrier billing arrangements, like the one it launched with AT&T. In that system, users can bill apps directly to their phone bill. Mr. Chu said, " ...that working with carriers to set up billing was both expensive and time-consuming, but a very valuable feature to users, and one that could help increase the spending on Android apps."

Now read this again guys and tell me how in the world you got the impression that this would be the only way you'd be able to buy apps? See the part about carriers to set up billing was both expensive and time-consuming?

 

[Big Dawg 23]

T-Mobile can have most apps billed to the account. I have used it on my G2 a few times.

 

[johnomaz]

Want to know why I quit buying apps on the Android, because of the ****ty 15 minute return policy. I bought an app and it took longer than 15 minutes to download because of the extra stuff it downloaded after it installed. When it finally finished, the app (a game to be exact) ran very poorly. But now I was stuck with a $5 game that runs like garbage.

Google didn't do much to help with the dismal app purchases; they hurt it even more.

 

[yurdle]

Now read this again guys and tell me how in the world you got the impression that this would be the only way you'd be able to buy apps? See the part about carriers to set up billing was both expensive and time-consuming?

No I guess you're right lol. Didn't think they would actually make it the only option .. just saying i wouldn't be happy if they did.

 

[ntrddragn]

i agree with the dumb 15 mins return policy. this makes me hestitate on buying an app also. i bought an app and it took almost 15 mins between installing and me typing in info before i can get it up and running. i quickly play with it and cancelled it. didnt have enough time to really test it out.

 

[KZIWarrior]

^This, #1 thing they can do is revise that BS policy... until then too many people will be hesitant to buy anything especially the higher priced items.