Epic Games and Google Reach Settlement Agreement
Epic Games and Google have reached a settlement agreement in their long-standing legal battle over app store fees and access. The previous ruling, which only applied to the United States, has now taken a new turn with global implications.
According to The Verge, Google has agreed to reduce its standard fee to either 20% or 9%, depending on the type of transaction. The new fees will only apply to new app installs and updates starting from October 30, 2025. Google will also introduce a new program in the next version of Android to allow alternative app stores to register with Google for easy installation by users.
If all goes as planned, these changes will be implemented for developers worldwide from March 31, 2026, until June 2032. During this period, Google will not charge a service fee greater than 20% for in-app purchases made through external web links on apps that do not qualify as new installs.
