Kakao Finally Abandons Outlink... Google Approves KakaoTalk Update

Google Inspection by Korea Communications Commission, Increased Possibility of Transition to Fact-Finding Investigation

On the 13th, the update for KakaoTalk, which had been suspended on Google Play, resumed.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Kakao, which had opposed Google's mandatory in-app payment policy, has taken a step back. Kakao deleted the outlink notice previously posted in the KakaoTalk app, and Google agreed to allow KakaoTalk app updates on Google Play.

According to industry sources on the 13th, Google Play resumed updates for KakaoTalk. Kakao removed the outlink notice that appeared during payments such as for KakaoTalk's 'Emoticon Plus.' The conflict between the two companies was thus resolved about two weeks after it surfaced.

Regarding the removal of the outlink, a Kakao representative stated, "This decision was made with the user's convenience as the top priority," adding, "We did our best to inform users of various payment options, but since the inability to update to the latest version could cause prolonged inconvenience, we internally decided to remove the outlink."

After Kakao posted the outlink notice within the KakaoTalk app, Google halted the latest updates of the KakaoTalk app on Google Play starting from the 30th of last month. Google refused to review the latest version, citing Kakao's violation of Google's in-app payment policy, which has been enforced since the first half of this year.

In April, Google mandated the in-app payment system and prohibited apps registered on the Play Store from posting outlinks for web payments. However, Kakao did not comply with this policy and maintained the outlink for web payments within the KakaoTalk Android app.

Following Google's suspension of updates, the latest version of KakaoTalk (v9.8.6) available on other app markets did not appear on Google Play, which only offered the previous version (v9.8.0). As a result, Android users who wanted to download the latest KakaoTalk version had to either download the APK file distributed by Kakao through the portal Daum or use One Store.

As the conflict between the two sides caused inconvenience to consumers, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the relevant authority, held an emergency meeting with executives from both companies on the 7th. At that time, Kakao reportedly emphasized its stance to "prioritize user convenience." The decision to remove the outlink notice also appears to reflect awareness that prolonged conflict with Google would increase user inconvenience.

Although the conflict was temporarily resolved with Kakao stepping back, the Ministry of Science and ICT, judging that Google's suspension of updates may be illegal, is likely to conclude its fact-finding inspection related to Google's in-app payment policy and shift to a formal investigation. During the meeting, the ministry repeatedly notified Google that refusing app updates due to web payment outlinks could constitute a legal violation.

A senior official from the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "On the day of mediation, we explained to Google the illegality of the update ban, and the two parties ended the discussion by agreeing to negotiate," adding, "The ministry is focusing on the fact-finding inspection to proceed as quickly as possible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.