Google Allows Android Users To Donate To Charities Through The Play Store

Google has just allowed Android users to donate to some charities based in the US with 100% of the donation sent to these organizations. In particular, Google does not collect a fee of 30% for in-app and app purchases. The company calls this Giving Season on Play. Users can make their charitable donations to some organizations like the Red Cross of America, Girls Who Code, UNICEF, and Doctors Without Borders USA. You can find the full list here.

This move of Google is a significant change for the company as previously, Google has prevented app developers from making donations to charities because of complicated legal regulations and law on the charge of 30% for every donation. (US law requires a tax deduction for each donation, but the process becomes more complex when paying through the Google Store).

Google Play’s Business Developer Manager, Maxim Mai said that they were providing a new option for Android users to donate to charities through Google Play to support nonprofits in the spirit of the holiday season. Google says the donation process on Google Play is not only quick, easy but also can keep 100% of its amount to support the charities directly. Google’s new addition is expected to be available for users in these countries such as Canada, Germany, Mexico, France, Great Britain, Spain, Taiwan, Italy, Indonesia, and the U.S.

Google is not the only firm doing this as Apple has made a similar move in Apple's App Store to support its users to donate to charities, especially when natural disasters occur in some places. Apple has carried out this option for the Red Cross, most recently for the donations for the flood-hit areas in Kerala of India in August. Apple's App Store and iTunes also supported donations for the Hurricane Harvey one year ago. Moreover, after requiring charities to collect funds through SMS or Safari, this tech giant began allowing nonprofits to receive donations with Apple Pay.