Skip to main content

Google under fire from Italian antitrust regulator over freemium app sales model

Italy’s Antitrust and Competition Authority says it is investigating “freemium” apps offered in Google’s Play Store along with similar stores operated by Apple and Amazon, saying that customers could be misled by the “free” label, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

According to the regulatory group, users who download these apps for free could believe that the game is completely free and not know when downloading the app how much it will actually cost.

If Google is found to have misled customers, the company could be fined as much as €5 million. It’s not likely to put a big dent in Google’s cash reserve, but the Italian antitrust committee has previously convinced Apple to change its policy regarding AppleCare marketing, and could affect similar changes in this case at Google and the other companies.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel