Posted by Paul Feng, Vice President, Google Play Eng, Product, UX
At Google Play, we are committed to delivering the best possible experience to users, while ensuring developers have the tools and adaptability to succeed. Guided by this commitment, earlier this year we announced updates to our business model introducing more billing flexibility, lower fees, and new programs to help your business thrive.
With some of these changes rolling out soon, the breakdown below outlines what is coming, where to find more information, key dates, and how to get started.
More billing flexibility
Google Play’s billing system safely, efficiently, and intuitively handles the complexities of taxes, compliance, and subscriptions across 195+ markets with 300+ local payment methods. However, we understand there are situations where your business needs more flexibility, and that's why we're offering you more options in how you handle digital commerce.
Building from existing programs, the new billing choice program is available to all developers globally who provide digital services or content to users within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area, alongside programs in the United States. Following this initial phase, we will continue expanding availability to additional markets. You will find the global release schedule at the bottom of this post.
Through these programs, developers can offer an alternative billing system or link users to their own website for purchases, alongside Google Play’s billing. You may also design your own choice screen in accordance with our UX guidelines, as an alternative to Google Play’s default version.
Please find all the details in the program page here.
Lower, separate fees
To enable this new level of flexibility, we're separating our service fee from the billing fee. This starts on June 30, 2026, beginning with the United States, European Economic Area, and United Kingdom.Regardless of whether you use Google Play's billing system, alternative billing, or external web links, the service fee starts at 10% on your first $1M (USD) in annual earnings. This 10% service fee also applies to all auto-renewing subscriptions. For all other transactions, the rates in the table below applies:
For other transactions, the service fee will be determined by whether the transacting user's install is new or existing relative to the regional rollout date:
- New installs: A transaction from a user whose first-time install or first update of the app from Google Play occurred on or after the date that the new fee structure launched in their region.
- Existing installs: A transaction from a user whose first-time install or first update of the app from Google Play occurred before the date that the new fee structure launches in their market.
Review this Help Center article to understand how these rates apply to your business.
Games Level Up and Apps Experience program guidelines
We are also excited to announce even more opportunities for partners who deliver exceptional user experiences across the Android ecosystem: the revamped Games Level Up and the new Apps Experience program. Detailed guidelines are now available on the respective program websites.Apps and games that meet all requirements are eligible for a new program rate card with reduced rates. See the table below for details:
Visit the Games Level Up and Apps Experience program websites, review the guidelines, and start preparing your games and apps ahead of September 30, 2026, when the program rate cards officially become available.
Global release schedule
Evolving our business model requires technical infrastructure and alignment with local regulations, so these updates will roll out on a staggered timeline. To help you plan, here is the previously announced release schedule for each update across all markets:
Here is a quick recap of the resources available to help you get started:
- Review the billing choice program;
- Learn more about Google Play's lower service fees;
- Explore detailed guidelines on the Games Level Up and Apps Experience program websites.
We look forward to building the next generation of Google Play experiences together.
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