Google is changing how it charges developers on Google Play before a judge has even approved the settlement that requires it to.
Starting next week, Google will replace its flat 30 percent commission with what it calls "lower, decoupled fees" — a structure that partially separates the app store fee from the payment processing fee. The cut Google takes will now depend on several variables: whether a user first installed an app before or after the new rules took effect, how much revenue a developer has earned, and whether the developer uses Google's billing system or an alternative. The changes apply globally, not just in the US markets where the Epic lawsuit played out.
This matters because it represents one of the first concrete cracks in the 30 percent "app tax" that has defined mobile commerce for over a decade. Developers who have long argued that bundled billing and distribution fees amounted to an illegal tie-in now have, at minimum, a path to lower costs — even if the exact savings depend on variables Google controls. The move also puts pressure on Apple, whose own 30 percent standard rate remains largely intact despite ongoing regulatory scrutiny in the EU and elsewhere.
The timing is notable: Google is rolling out changes it negotiated under legal duress before the court has formally blessed the deal — either a goodwill gesture or a calculated move to shape the narrative around what counts as compliance.