Beginning next week, users of Barnes & Noble’s Android app will be unable to purchase digital books within the app, which appears to be the result of a Google Play policy deadline that has been in the works for more than a year and a half. And it’s not just Barnes & Noble; the current edition of Amazon’s Android app also prevents users from purchasing Audible items using a debit or credit card.
The modifications appear to be in response to Google’s requirement that apps utilize Google Play’s billing infrastructure. Developers have long chastised Apple and Google for making developers use their proprietary billing systems, in part due to the so-called “app store tax” on many transactions.
Google amended its regulations in September 2020 to clear which forms of in-app sales required the use of the Google Play billing system, but Barnes & Noble and Audible are only now changing their policies – and at the last minute. Google initially set a deadline of September 30th, 2021, and then offered a six-month extension to March 31st, 2022 – which was yesterday as I write this. Both Audible and Barnes & Noble cited Google’s policy as the impetus for the adjustments, with Audible even providing a link to the September 2020 post.
On a page on its website, Barnes & Noble states that “as of April 4, 2022, with the release of NOOK Software Version 6.1, the ability to purchase was removed from the Barnes & Noble Nook App for Android and the Nook HD 10″ Designed with Lenovo.”
According to a help page for Amazon’s Audible, you can no longer purchase titles via the app with a debit or credit card as of Friday. Additionally, as of Friday, all new Audible memberships initiated using the app will be invoiced through Google Play, not Audible directly. You will continue to be able to use Audible credits to purchase books through the app, and you will also be able to purchase additional credits through the app.
