A new era for choice and openness

Expanded billing choice on Google Play for users and developers

Google Play is giving developers even more billing choice and freedom in how they handle transactions. Mobile developers will have the option to use their own billing systems in their app alongside Google Play’s billing, or they can guide users outside of their app to their own websites for purchases. Our goal is to offer this flexibility in a way that maximizes choice and safety for users. 

Leading the way in store choice 

We’re introducing a program that makes sideloading qualified app stores even easier. Our new Registered App Stores program will provide a more streamlined installation flow for Android app stores that meet certain quality and safety benchmarks. 

Once this change has rolled out, app stores that choose to participate in this optional program will have registered with us and so users who sideload them will have a more simplified installation flow (see graphic below).  If a store chooses not to participate, nothing changes for them and they retain the same experience as any other sideloaded app on Android.  

This gives app stores more ways to reach users and gives users more ways to easily and safely access the apps and games they love. 

This Registered App Store program will begin outside of the US first, and we intend to bring it to the US as well, subject to court approval.

Lower pricing and new programs to support developers  

Google Play’s fees are already the lowest among major app stores, and today we are taking this even further by introducing a new business model that decouples fees for using our billing system and introduces new, lower service fees. Once this rolls out:

1. Billing: For those developers who choose to use Google Play’s billing system, they will be charged a market-specific rate separate from the service fee. In the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, and US that rate will be 5%.

2. Service Fees:  

1. For new installs (first time installs from users after the new fees are launched in a region), we are reducing the in-app purchase (IAP) service fee to 20%.  

2. We are launching an Apps Experience Program and revamping our Google Play Games Level Up program to incentivize building great software experiences across Android form factors associated with clear quality benchmarks and enhanced user benefits.  Those developers who choose to participate in these programs will have even lower rates. Participating IAP developers will have a 20% service fee for transactions from existing installs and a 15% fee on transactions from new app installs.

3. Our service fee for recurring subscriptions will be 10%.