After India, Google Lowers Minimum Paid App Price in 17 More Countries

In July, Google adjusted the lowest price tier for paid apps on Google Play Store India, allowing developers to reduce the amount they charge for apps and in-app purchases (IAPs) in the country. The move was aimed at boosting app installs. The company has announced that it is now extending the program in 17 more countries.

Google realises that people in different regions, due to multiple factors including and especially economy, have different purchasing habits. As has been evident, not everyone across the globe is likely to spend a fixed amount set by developers. Thus, it makes financial sense for both users and developers to have a pricing model that resonates with most.

The Mountain View-based company is extending the pricing changes in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

The company piloted the program in India, wherein it reduced the lowest price tier from Rs. 50 to Rs. 10. Interestingly, the company recently also adjusted the upper price limit to give developers more flexibility. It increased the upper limit for an app or an IAP from Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 26,000. (In the United States, the adjustment was from $200 to $400.) Developers who're interested in revising the pricing of their apps for aforementioned regions can do so by visiting the Google Play Developer Console.

It is worth remembering that it was Apple who was first to introduce such a change. The Cupertino-based company in July introduced 'Alternate Tier' pricing. Under this, the company announced Alternate Tier A and Alternate Tier B to the App Store in India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey. This allowed a developer to charge as low as Rs. 10 for an app or in-app purchase to Indian customers.

Interestingly, earlier this month, Microsoft adjusted the pricing of its apps on the Windows Store for different regions. The price revision affected users Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine regions. Unlike Google and Apple, Microsoft's price revision was not optional and applicable in all of the aforementioned regions, and it was carried out to reflect the current foreign exchange rate fluctuations compared to USD. The exact changes in minimum app prices for Google Play are listed below:

Brazil: BRL 0.99 (was BRL 2.00)

Chile: CLP $200.00 (was CLP $500.00)

Colombia: COP 800.00 (was COP 2000.00)

Hungary: Ft 125.00 (was Ft 225.00)

Indonesia: Rp 3,000.00 (was Rp 12,000.00)

Malaysia: RM 1.00 (was RM 3.50)

Mexico: MXN 5.00 (was MXN 9.90)

Peru: PEN 0.99 (was PEN 3.00)

Philippines: PHP15.00 (was PHP 43.00)

Poland: zł1.79 (was zł2.99)

Russia: руб 15.00 (was руб 30.00)

Saudi Arabia: SAR 0.99 (was SAR 4.00)

South Africa: R 3.99 (was R 10.00)

Thailand: ฿ 10.00 (was ฿ 32.00)

Turkey: TRY 0.59 (was TRY 2.00)

Ukraine: UAH 5.00 (was UAH 8.00)

Vietnam: VND 6,000 (was VND 21,000.00)