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Google brings in-app payments to any Web app

The service was first made available in May for Chrome Web Store applications. Google says the API can now be employed on apps "wherever they're hosted."

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Don Reisinger

Google has rolled out its in-app payment service for any Web developer.

The service was first announced in May at Google's I/O Conference. The feature allows developers to offer single-click payments from their applications. At launch, Google touted the platform's simple integration into a respective Web app, saying that it only required the addition of a single line of code.

When Google first announced in-app payments, the company said it would be made available only to Chrome Web Store developers. However, Google said yesterday that its in-app payment system is now "available for all Web application developers to integrate with their Web apps wherever they're hosted."

The biggest draw of Google's in-app payment service is its pricing. Rather than taking a 30 percent share of revenue as Apple does, Google is charging a 5 percent fee.

To sign up for Google's in-app payments, developers must be Google Checkout members. Consumers buying the goods in-app can also pay for goods through their Google accounts.