Android rules the smartphone market throughout southeast Asia, and while there have been plenty of Android devices sold in the region, those buyers tend to spend very little on paid apps and games.
To turn this around, Google has decided to reduce the minimum price of paid games and apps in the Google Play Store.
While there's no guarantee that a price drop will result in more revenue, the idea is that it will stimulate the market to start buying more apps overall.
Globally cheaper
Google has dropped that minimum price in 17 regions around the world, including five key markets in southeast Asia, following a successful trial in India earlier this year.
Generally, the minimum price for apps has dropped 3-4 times what it was, depending on the region.
Of course, the price drop won't happen automatically – developers will still need to log in to their developer console and drop the price themselves. But if it helps drive app purchases in the region, expect Google to push it pretty hard with its dev community.
Here are the five key regions to experience the new initiative, and what the new minimum pricing will be:
Indonesia: Rp 3,000.00 (was Rp 12,000.00)
Malaysia: RM 1.00 (was RM 3.50)
Philippines: ₱15.00 (was ₱43.00)
Thailand: ฿10.00 (was ฿32.00)
Vietnam: ₫6,000 (was ₫21,000.00)