Google ends its 30 percent app store fee and welcomes third-party app stores
Source: Hacker News
Google ends its 30 percent app store fee and welcomes third‑party app stores
Google is officially doing away with its 30 percent cut of Play Store transactions and rolling out changes to how third‑party app stores and alternate billing systems are handled on Android. Some of these tweaks were proposed as part of the settlement the company reached with Epic in November 2025, but rather than wait for final judicial approval, Google is committing to revamping Android and the Play Store publicly.
Fee structure changes
- In‑app purchases: The standard cut drops from 30 percent to 20 percent, with a 15 percent rate for new installs from developers in the App Experience program or the updated Google Play Games Level Up program.
- Subscriptions: The fee is reduced to 10 percent.
- Alternative billing (UK, US, EEA): Developers will be charged a 5 percent fee plus a “market‑specific rate” in other regions.
These changes make it easier for developers to avoid Google’s fees by using alternative billing systems.
Alternative billing and external links
Google says developers can now:
- Offer alternative billing systems alongside Google Play’s billing, or
- “Guide users outside of their app to their own websites for purchases.”
This approach is more permissive than Apple’s 2025 settlement, which only allows iOS developers to direct users to external payment methods via in‑app links.
Impact on Epic Games and the Epic Games Store
- Epic brought Fortnite back to the App Store in the US in May 2025 and to the Play Store in December 2025.
- Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite will soon be available globally on Google’s store.
- Epic aims to drive users to the mobile version of its Epic Games Store.
Third‑party app stores: “Registered App Stores” program
- Third‑party stores can apply to the Registered App Stores program, which evaluates “quality and safety benchmarks.”
- Approved stores receive a streamlined installation interface on Android.
- Participation is optional; users can still sideload unregistered stores, though upcoming sideloading changes later in 2026 may make the process more difficult, encouraging enrollment in the program.
Rollout timeline
| Region | Fee structure rollout | App Experience / Play Games Level Up launch |
|---|---|---|
| EEA, UK, US | By June 30, 2026 | September 30, 2026 |
| Australia | By September 30, 2026 | September 30, 2026 |
| Korea & Japan | By December 31, 2026 | September 30, 2026 |
| Rest of world | By September 30, 2027 | September 30, 2026 (with fee rollout) |
| Registered App Stores program | Launch with a major Android release before year‑end 2026 (initially in select regions, later in the US) |
Historical context
- In 2021, Google reduced its cut to 15 percent on the first $1 million developers earned and 15 percent on subscriptions.
- The current changes are driven by regulatory scrutiny from Epic’s antitrust lawsuit and a separate $800 million joint partnership between Google and Epic (reported by The Verge).
Letting developers keep more of their revenue aligns with both regulatory pressure and Google’s strategic interests.