On March 4, 2026, Google announced one of the most significant changes in the history of the Play Store. The company is scrapping its standard 30 percent commission on in-app purchases and introducing a new fee system that leaves developers with a significantly larger share of revenue. At the same time, Android will officially support third-party app stores for the first time through a new certification program.
There are two key factors behind this decision. The first is a settlement between Google and the company Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite and the Epic Games Store, reached in November 2025 after the end of the antitrust lawsuit. Another is pressure from regulators in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, who have been scrutinizing the in-app billing practices of major platforms for years.
Specifically, Google is reducing its standard commission to 20 percent, and in certain cases to 15 percent, for new app installs by developers participating in the new App Experience or Google Play Games Level Up programs. The commission on subscriptions drops to 10 percent, while developers using Google’s billing system in the US, UK and European Economic Area will pay five percent plus a market-specific rate in other regions.
Equally important is the change regarding alternative billing systems. Google now allows developers to offer their own billing systems alongside Google’s, or to direct users to their websites for out-of-app purchases. That model is by definition more permissive than what Apple agreed to in 2025, where developers interested in avoiding Apple’s fees can only offer users alternative payment methods via links to the web. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic, announced that Fortnite will soon be available on the Google Store globally as a direct result of these changes.
As for third-party stores, Google is introducing a program called “Registered App Stores”, through which alternative stores will be able to apply and, if they meet certain quality and security standards, get access to a simplified interface for installation on Android. Participation in the program is voluntary, and sideloading stores that are not in the program remains possible, although Google plans to make the process more complicated for the average user during 2026, which could de facto force developers to apply for official certification.
The timetable for the introduction of changes is gradual. The new fee structure will arrive in the EU, UK and US by 30 June 2026, in Australia by 30 September, in Korea and Japan by 31 December, and in the rest of the world by September 2027.
The underlying financial context is also important. In addition to the lawsuit settlement, The Verge reported in January that Google and Epic had agreed to an $800 million partnership related to product development and Google’s use of Epic’s technology. Google’s decision to leave most of the revenue to developers is not, therefore, exclusively altruistic, but part of a broader business calculation in which it gets access to Epic’s technologies and, perhaps more importantly, legitimacy in the eyes of regulators who are increasingly vocal about the power of platforms over the application ecosystem, reports Engadget.