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Google Chrome wants websites to make mobile subscriptions easier to understand
- Chrome 71 will show a warning when a website is unclear about its mobile subscription information.
- You can either ignore the warning and proceed or go back to the page you were previously on.
- Once websites make their mobile subscription information clearer, the warning will no longer show up.
With a growing number of services offering ways to subscribe to their content with your smartphone, Google Chrome wants to make it so you don’t fall through the cracks and see any unexpected costs on your phone bill. That is why Google will update its browser to provide a warning against websites with unclear mobile subscription information.
The warning will take up the entire screen and will show up on the mobile Chrome app, Chrome for desktop, and Android’s WebView. According to Google, the warning will state that the website might try to charge you money and that the charges could be a one-time deal or recurring.
More importantly, the warning will state that the charges might not be obvious and provide a big blue button at the bottom that you can press to go back. You can proceed if you want, but it is clear Chrome will not want you to visit the website after the warning shows up.
Interestingly, Google will contact the webmaster through Search Console if the warning pops up on their website. If websites are verified on Search Console, there will be an option for them to inform Google about any changes they made to clarify their billing processes. If websites are not verified, then Google will be in touch with webmasters and will direct them to its public support forum for any questions.
Google makes it clear the warning does not affect a website’s ranking in Google Search. That said, the warning message does not look anywhere near inviting and could affect a website’s traffic if seen often enough.
The feature will launch in December with the launch of Chrome 71, which will also remove all ads on websites with persistent abusive ad experiences.
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