Expanded billing options
Developers publishing apps on Google Play will be able to use their own billing systems alongside Google Play’s payment system. They can also direct users outside the app to complete purchases on their own websites.
Google said the goal is to provide developers and users with more flexibility in how transactions are handled while maintaining security for payments.
Lower Play Store fees
The service fee for in-app purchases tied to new installs will be 20%. Developers participating in the Apps Experience Program or the updated Google Play Games Level Up program will pay 15% on transactions from new installs and 20% for transactions from existing installs.
Developers who choose to use Google Play’s billing system will pay a separate billing fee, set at 5% in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and the United States. Subscription transactions will carry a 10% service fee.
Easier access to alternative app stores
Google is also launching a Registered App Stores program aimed at simplifying the installation of third party Android stores.
App stores that meet certain safety and quality requirements will be able to register with Google and receive a more streamlined installation process when users sideload them.
“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,” Sameer Samat, president of the Android ecosystem, said in a blog post.
The Registered App Stores program begins outside the US first and may expand to the US pending court approval, with rollout planned alongside a major Android release by the end of the year.
