Google Play introduces reward points in South Korea

South Koreans who purchase items and other virtual goods in apps from Google Play will now be able to get points as rewards, Google has announced.

Dubbed Google Play Points, users will start in the bronze tier, which will give one point per 1,000 won for subscribers that make in-app purchases from apps available on the Google Play store.

Users on the silver tier will gain 1.1 points per 1,000 won and six points per 5,000 won. Users that move to the gold, platinum, and diamond tiers will be given up to two points per 1,000 won.

If a user uses 100 points to purchases a virtual item, the developer of the app will receive 70% of the proceeds, Google said.

Google Play Points was first launched in Japan last year, and South Korea will be the second country to roll out the service; in-app purchases and pay-to-play systems are more popular in South Korea and Japan.

Google subscribers can take part by pressing the My Play Point button within apps. The company will also conduct promotions weekly to give more points for certain apps.

Most local game firms offer virtual items for sales in games and already offer similar reward systems to Google Play Points.

Google Play Store is the go to app-store for most Android users in South Korea, where Samsung controls over 60% of the smartphone market share in the country.

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