Google eventually closes Payments API

In early 2020, Google experts were forced to suspend indefinitely the publication and update of any commercial Chrome extensions. Now they have announced that Google is eventually closes the Payments API.

The ban on publishing and updating affected all paid extensions without exception.

“Limitations applied to Chrome extensions that require payment before installation; extensions that work on a monthly subscription basis; extensions that enable one-time in-app purchases to access various features”, – informed Google representatives.

Later, in March 2020, Google developers also disabled the Payments API and in May introduced a number of restrictions for the Chrome Web Store.

Then the company promised that these are only temporary measures and promised to present a solution to the problem soon, but now Google representatives unexpectedly announced that they would completely stop the Payments API in the Chrome Web Store, declaring it obsolete and, in fact, disabling the store’s payment system.

As a reminder, the Payments API was used to process payments, including one-time payments, monthly subscriptions, and free trials of commercial Chrome extensions. Thus, Google is forcing extension developers to switch to using third-party payment systems that are not related to the Web Store.

The Payments API deactivation schedule is the following:

• September 21, 2020: You can no longer create new paid extensions or items in apps. The interim measure, introduced in March 2020, becomes permanent.
• December 1, 2020: Free trials will be disabled. The Try Now button will no longer be displayed and free trial in-app requests will result in errors.
• February 1, 2021: Existing products and in-app purchases can no longer be charged through the Chrome Web Store. You can still request license information for previously paid purchases and subscriptions. The licensing API will reflect the status of active subscriptions, but subscriptions will not auto-renew.
• In the future: The licensing API will no longer allow users to determine license status.

This unexpected Google decision has already caused outrage in the extension community. The fact is that Google does not provide extension owners with detailed information about paid customers, and because of this, many developers find themselves in a situation where they simply cannot transfer their user bases to the new payment processor.

Let me remind you that Google has introduced a number of restrictions on its products and suspended certain research and development in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. for example, Google temporarily refuses from SameSite cookie security feature due to COVID-19, while Chrome jumped from 81 to 83, and Microsoft Edge postponed version upgrade.