Google just booted 'Fortnite' from the Play Store, hours after Apple banned it from the iPhone and iPad App Store (GOOGL)

* After being booted from the Apple App Store, Fortnite has now been removed from the Google Play Store, too. * The move comes after Epic rolled out an update letting users pay it directly for in-app purchases, skirting around Apple and Google's existing payment systems. * Those systems give Apple and Google a 30% cut of the profits from in-app purchases — a practice that Epic has long railed against. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Having just been booted from the Apple App Store, Epic's Fortnite has now been removed from the Google Play Store, too. It comes as no surprise. Everything kicked off after Epic rolled out an update on Thursday morning that lets users pay Epic directly for in-app purchases, instead of going though Apple and Google's existing purchase systems. Both companies require apps on their respective stores to pay a 30% cut of most transactions. Apple was first to fight back, kicking Fornite off the iPhone and iPad App Store — leading Epic to respond by filing a lawsuit against the company and screening in the hit game a parody of Apple's 1984 commercial that took shots at the company's present-day App Store policies. Now Google is following suit and has kicked the game from its Play Store, though at the time of writing there has been no immediate sign of retaliation from Epic. A Google spokesperson told Business Insider: "The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play." Fortnite is also available to download on Android directly via Epic's own website. In fact, for a time, this was how Android users had to access the game until April, when Epic finally decided to play by Google's rules and brought the game back to the Play Store. Right now, all Android users can still download the game directly from Epic, while Samsung smartphone owners can get it from the Galaxy Store. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The rise and fall of Donald Trump's $365 million airline
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SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX. Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...

What an independent contractor actually is and how it's classified under California's Assembly Bill 5, the gig worker law Uber, Lyft, and others are fighting with a November ballot measure

* California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect in January, adopting a narrow definition of independent contractor that forces Uber and other gig economy businesses to choose between reclassifying workers as employees or risking significant liability for misclassification. * The law serves as a reminder to California businesses to be careful when classifying workers as contractors. * Classifying independent contractors falls into two main categories: the "right to control" test (often called the "IRS test") and the tougher "ABC test" recently adopted in AB5. * Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have recently poured $30 million into Proposition 22 — a ballot measure intended to exempt major ridesharing and food delivery companies from AB5. If California residents vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft can continue classifying drivers as contractors. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September 2019, Californ...

PayPal parts with top advertising executive after shifting its marketing strategy during the pandemic

* PayPal's chief creative officer Steve Simpson, its top advertising executive, left the company after about a year. * The move came after PayPal shifted its marketing strategy during the coronavirus pandemic, placing less emphasis on the brand and more on catering to small businesses, said a source with direct knowledge of the marketing operation. * Simpson's departure followed that of CMO and former Apple executive Allison Johnson in May. Both "decided to leave PayPal" as the company streamlines its global marketing functions, according to a PayPal spokeswoman. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. PayPal's highest-ranking ad executive Steve Simpson left earlier this month after just over a year as part of a restructuring of its global marketing business. Simpson, who was chief creative officer, was hired to make high-minded ad campaigns to help PayPal stand out from competitors like Square, Stripe, and Apple Pay. But this strategy chan...

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