Google wants to remove dating apps Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and others from its Play Store after getting caught in a legal battle with the owner of the apps, Match Group Inc.
The search engine giant is countersuing Match Group, accusing them of bad faith and breach of contract, according to Bloomberg. Google’s lawsuit is a reaction to one filed by Match in May, which accused Google of monopolizing the distribution of apps on Android, and charging companies a percentage for in-app purchases.
“Match Group entered into a contract with us and this suit seeks to hold Match to its end of the agreement – we’re looking forward to making our case,” a Google spokesperson told Gizmodo in an email. “Meanwhile, we will continue to defend ourselves against Match’s baseless claims.”
In response to the claims filed by Match, Google fired back by claiming that Match wants to be exempt from its store policies in order to gain an “advantaged position relative to other app developers who honor their agreements and compensate Google in good faith for the benefits they receive,” according to the filing that was viewed by Bloomberg. Google is seeking monetary compensation through the lawsuit, as well as a ruling that would allow it to kick Match off its Play Store.
But other app developers have also complained of the main two app stores currently dominating the market, Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Both platforms charge app developers somewhere between 15% to 30% of in-app purchases made through Android phones or iPhones. While Google does allow its users to download apps through other platforms through a process known as side loading, Apple offers its app store as the only means of downloading apps on iPhones.
Last year, Google faced another lawsuit from 36 states for monopolizing the market as the sole app distributor for Android phones by using a number of anti-competitiveness tactics like trying to prevent Samsung’s app store from being built out.