Google Play App Store Revenue Hit $11.2 Billion in 2019, Lawsuit Says

Alphabet's Google generated $11.2 billion in revenue from its mobile app store in 2019, according to a court filing unsealed on Saturday, offering a clear view into the service's financial results for the first time. From a report: Attorneys general for Utah and 36 other U.S. states or districts suing Google over alleged antitrust violations with the app store also said in the newly unredacted filing that the business in 2019 had $8.5 billion in gross profit and $7 billion in operating income, for an operating margin of over 62%. The figures include sales of apps, in-app purchase and app store ads. Google told Reuters the data "are being used to mischaracterize our business in a meritless lawsuit."

The company and its accusers said in a separate filing on Saturday a trial in late 2022 is possible over whether Google abuses its alleged monopoly in app sales for Android devices. In its quarterly financial disclosures, Google groups Play app revenue with that of other services and accounts for the store's ad revenue as part of another broader category. Attorneys general, as well as mobile app developer Epic Games and others separately suing Google, have contended that it generates huge profits through the Play Store by taking 30% of the fee for every digital good sold inside an app. The plaintiffs say Google's cut is arbitrarily high, siphoning app developers' profits.

How dare they

[cygnusvis]

How dare they make so much money

Just get your apps from another source

[MDMurphy]

Unlike Apple, Android has an option in the settings to let you load any app you'd like. It's set to the Google Play store by default, but if you can't find out how to flip that one switch then you probably aren't informed enough to figure out whether or not you should load a particular app.
Amazon has been selling or giving away Android apps for years for non-Amazon Android devices. If you loaded their app store they give you instructions on how to enable non-Play Store app installation, a one-time change.

Some might argue that the fees Google charges are too much. Like pretty much every business out there they will charge the most they can get away with. But users and developers have the option to not use their store with the user making one setting change. No different than choosing a different default browser or any other pre-installed apps.

If a user is too clueless to make those small changes, I put the blame on them. Is there outrage at what tow trucks charge to change a flat tire when the 30 yr old driver was too stupid to ever learn how to do it themselves?

Re:

[burningcpu]

I've got $50 in gift cards for the Google Play store and I can't find a thing I want to buy from it. Am I the only one that feels this way? Am I missing out on some good hidden stuff?

Re:

[MDMurphy]

$50 is probably good for people who "buy" books, songs or videos from the app stores. Me, I don't. But I most often get the paid version of apps vs the free ones. Sometimes it's to avoid really annoying ads, sometimes for extra features. More often though if I really find it useful, and it's not something I use for a day then delete it, I have no problem paying the developer the $5 or so. My favorite weather app costs $2 a year. Not something I balk at paying.

Re:

[swillden]

I've got $50 in gift cards for the Google Play store and I can't find a thing I want to buy from it. Am I the only one that feels this way? Am I missing out on some good hidden stuff?

Movies.

Amazing someone goes after Google, not Apple

[Kartu]

I mean, with Android I can install apps from whatever store, unlike with apple's devices.