Google is rewriting its Play Store economics globally, and a courtroom defeat is what it took.
Starting June 30, developers in the UK, US, and European Economic Area can use payment processors other than Google's own billing system, and link users directly to external websites to complete purchases. Fees drop to a base 10% on the first $1 million in annual earnings. Above that threshold, the rate rises to 20% for new installs and 25% for existing ones, with link-out fees set at 20%. Qualifying apps in the Games Level Up and Apps Experience programs — open to applicants in September — can land between 10% and 20%. Australia, Japan, and South Korea join the new structure by end of 2026; the rest of the world follows by September 2027.
This matters because it sets a global baseline, not a region-by-region legal patch. Apple, facing its own regulatory squeeze, has been forced into concessions country by country — it cannot charge commissions on US web-linked purchases and must comply with the Digital Markets Act in the EU, but it has no unified worldwide policy. Google now does, and that asymmetry will pressure Apple as regulators and developers keep score.
The fine print is worth reading slowly: the 25% rate on existing installs means apps with established user bases pay more than new entrants, which is an odd structure for a company pitching openness. Google didn't arrive here voluntarily — a jury found it held an illegal app store monopoly, and this is the settlement's fruit.