Google has apologised for its late payment to European Android developers, and finally initiated payments for those still awaiting February's Google Play revenue.

Affected developers voiced their displeasure on Google's official forums when the revenue they were expecting on 7 March failed to materialise.

Google took six days to acknowledge the complaints, apologising on 16 March for the situation, explaining, "We have worked to resolve this, and payouts were initiated on 15 March 2012.

"However, your bank may take up to three additional business days to register the payout in your account. We apologise for any inconvenience you may have experienced and appreciate your understanding."

Tardy slip

"Developers are usually paid on the 2nd of the month, arriving in bank accounts between 5th and 7th," a well placed source told PocketGamer.biz last week.

The issue has also inevitably prompted comparisons between Google Play and the App Store.

One developer told the Guardian last week that, with Apple, "payment is reliable and consistent. If you need to speak to a human being, you can eventually make contact with one. It's not perfect - they lean towards cheap automation – but it's light years ahead of Google."

[source: FierceDeveloper]