Good news for you non-us Android developers today, as Google now supports paid apps in 20 more countries, bringing the total up to 29 countries where developers can accept payments in the Android Market.
According to the Android Developers Blog, developers in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan can now sell apps on the Android Market.
Also, over the next two weeks, the Android Market will open itself up to a further 18 countries, bringing the total number of countries able to access and purchase Android apps through the Market to 32.
The countries with fresh access to the Android Market include Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, and Taiwan.
If you’re an Android user, you have probably seen some apps that are free in the Android Market, but can be “unlocked” or “upgraded” after making a payment through PayPal. This is usually because the developer lives in a country where Google doesn’t support payments to developers.
Hopefully, today’s upgrade means that a fair chunk of these developers can now offer paid apps directly through the Market, offering a more streamlined (and trustworthy) payment method for app purchasers in any of the 32 supported countries.
This move should also go some way toward getting more app developers in more countries on-board with Android, helping it compete with Apple’s gigantic App Store.
[via Mashable]