Google Play billing changes landed hard on October 29, 2025: if your app serves users in the U.S., you can now link to external payments and you’re no longer forced to use Google Play Billing. A proposed settlement with Epic would go further—setting service fee caps and formalizing easier third‑party “registered” app stores for years. If you own mobile revenue or ship Android builds, this isn’t a legal footnote. It’s a chance to redesign pricing, checkout, and distribution while competitors are still debating slide decks.
What changed on October 29, 2025 (and how long it lasts)
As of October 29, 2025, apps distributed via the U.S. Play Store can:
• Tell users about pricing and availability outside Google Play, including cheaper web offers.
• Provide in‑app links that send users to complete transactions outside Google Play.
• Offer alternative in‑app payment methods instead of Google Play Billing (GPB).
• Link to downloads outside the Play Store.
These U.S. changes reflect a court injunction and are currently slated to remain in effect until November 1, 2027 unless superseded by new orders or a broader settlement. Practically, that’s a two‑year window to build durable systems for hybrid billing, lower fees, and better conversion funnels—while keeping the option to revert if terms shift.
The proposed Epic–Google settlement: the likely next chapter
Google and Epic announced a proposed agreement that, if approved, would extend reforms well beyond the U.S. and for a longer term (through June 2032). Headline items to plan around:
• Registered App Stores: A formal path for alternative stores with streamlined install flows and neutral registration criteria.
• Coexisting payments: Third‑party payment options can sit alongside Google’s, with Google able to charge a service fee for distribution/services.
• Capped service fees: 9% for subscriptions and many non‑game purchases; 20% for gameplay‑advantage in‑app items. Those caps matter for margin math.
• Fewer exclusivity levers: Restrictions on some deals that previously favored Play preinstalls or billing control.
The court still needs to approve the settlement. But the direction of travel is clear: more developer choice, lower platform take rates on many transactions, and less friction for alternative stores.
Fees, math, and how to price intelligently
Here’s the thing: fee talk gets hand‑wavy unless you run real numbers against your catalog and conversion paths. Let’s make it concrete.
Scenario A (U.S., today under the injunction): You push a $9.99/month subscription to a performant mobile web checkout (Stripe/Adyen/Braintree) from inside your app. Payment processing might run 2.9% + $0.30, plus fraud/risk tools and tax calculation (say an effective 3.3–4.2% net depending on mix). If the proposed caps eventually go global, service fees of 9% could apply in exchange for distribution/services when users came via Play. That’s still materially below legacy 15–30% structures, and you can pass part of that savings to nudge adoption.
Scenario B (games with gameplay‑advantage IAP): Model your ARPPU at yesterday’s take rate versus a 20% service fee world. If you’re also funding user acquisition, the blended CAC to LTV picture changes—especially if external pay flows reduce involuntary churn (card updater flows and localized methods can help).
Scenario C (hybrid): Keep GPB for high‑friction SKUs (e.g., one‑taps where Play points or family controls matter) and steer subscriptions or bundles to web. Many teams will end up hybrid, optimizing SKU by SKU.
Don’t guess. Build a margin model by country, SKU, and channel, then feed it with actual funnel data for 30–60 days. Price tests should be deliberate: anchor to a standard in‑app price, show clear value on web bundles (longer term, bonus inventory, loyalty perks), and avoid dark patterns. The goal is durable adoption, not a short‑term spike that tanks retention.
Google Play billing changes: the product and engineering checklist
If you’ve ever moved billers, you know the real work isn’t the SDK import—it’s everything around entitlements, taxes, refunds, analytics, and support flows. Use this as your first‑week plan.
1) Map your catalog and entitlements
• Create a single source of truth for SKUs (GPB, PSP, and web bundles).
• Establish server‑authoritative entitlements with idempotent grant/revoke and clear audit trails.
• Define business rules for proration, grace periods, and reactivation across billers.
2) Choose payments and risk tooling
• Shortlist a PSP with native mobile web checkout, tokenization, strong SCA/FIDO support, and good local methods (PIX, iDEAL, UPI, etc.).
• Add a risk stack: device fingerprinting, velocity checks, chargeback alerts, and dispute automation. Games: add consumable verification and anti‑abuse throttles.
3) Implement deep links and fail‑safes
• Use verified app links to route users to a mobile web checkout that preserves session and SKU context.
• Design fallbacks: if web checkout fails, offer GPB as a rescue path where policy allows.
• Measure linkouts separately from web organic to maintain attribution integrity.
4) Receipts, taxes, and finance
• Emit signed receipts for every transaction, regardless of biller, and standardize receipt schemas.
• Integrate tax calculation and invoice delivery; assign tax nexus logic per jurisdiction and support VAT/GST invoices for businesses.
• Update revenue recognition and dunning rules in your ledger. Finance needs the migration plan as much as engineering does.
5) Subscription lifecycle and migrations
• Decide whether to migrate existing subscribers or only new signups. Forced migrations create churn—offer carrots (longer terms, loyalty credit) if you move people.
• Ensure cancel, refund, and “restore purchases” work identically across billers from the user’s point of view.
6) UX, copy, and trust
• Keep purchase language plain. Make it obvious when the user is leaving to a web checkout.
• If you operate a kids app or regulated product, align copy with parental controls and consent requirements. Simplicity converts; clarity reduces disputes.
7) Analytics and attribution
• Tag in‑app linkouts with campaign parameters and persist user IDs through checkout.
• Reconcile installs from Play with purchases on web to avoid double counting. Treat this like server‑side conversion APIs for ads—same idea, different surface.
Should you launch a “registered app store” of your own?
Tempting, right? Distribution control, merchandising freedom, and fewer gatekeepers. But there’s a catch: app stores are a product, not a feature. You’ll need update infrastructure, vetting, security testing, and support. And Google is rolling out developer identity verification for sideloaded distribution starting in 2026 in select countries and expanding globally from 2027. Plan on that compliance work if you go this route.
For most publishers, the smarter near‑term move is to master hybrid distribution: Play for reach and trust, direct for higher‑margin bundles and deeper relationships. If you already operate a games launcher or a brand community app, a registered store may fit—but test the unit economics before you scale.
Policy timing meets platform timing: Target API level and release trains
Don’t let monetization work derail platform compliance. In 2025, new apps and updates submitted after August 31 must target Android 15 (API level 35). Existing apps need to be at least Android 14 (API level 34) to stay broadly available to users on newer devices; many teams used an extension window to November 1, 2025. Wear OS and Android TV often trail by one API level. Bake this into your Q4 and Q1 release trains—billing refactors are easier to ship when your targetSdk is already current and your libraries (Play Billing, SafetyNet/Play Integrity, billing verifier) are updated.
People also ask
Do I still pay Google if I use Stripe or Adyen?
Under the current U.S. injunction, you can route purchases outside Play without using GPB. Under the proposed settlement, Google can charge a service fee for distribution/services, but caps are expected (9% for many subscriptions and non‑game items, 20% for gameplay‑advantage IAPs). Model both states in your forecasts: “injunction‑only” in the U.S. through 2027 and “settlement‑era” caps if/when approved and rolled out more broadly.
Can I offer a lower price on the web than in‑app?
Yes, and many publishers will. Be transparent: show consistent base prices and explain web‑only bundles or discounts. Keep receipts, renewal terms, and cancellation flows clear and documented. Users hate surprise renewals more than they love discounts.
Will these changes apply outside the U.S.?
The U.S. changes started October 29, 2025. The proposed settlement is designed to extend changes internationally and through June 2032 once approved. Plan globally, ship locally: implement the plumbing now and toggle regions as the legal dust settles.
What about kids apps and parental controls?
If your app relies on Play’s family controls, staying on GPB for those SKUs might be wise. If you move kids purchases to web, replicate controls and verifiable parental consent, and keep refund/cancel as simple as Play’s built‑in flows.
Migration traps and edge cases we keep seeing
• Receipt chaos: Teams ship external payments without a unified receipt service. Six months later, support is drowning. Centralize it from day one.
• Entitlement drift: Consumables granted on client only. Move to server‑authoritative grants and verify signatures for both GPB and web.
• Price‑parity confusion: Users see three prices for the same thing (app, web, promo). Establish a pricing policy and stick to it.
• Tax and invoicing gaps: Subscriptions sold on web need proper tax docs in each jurisdiction. Your finance team will thank you.
• Abandoned subscribers: If you decide to migrate, do it with incentives, not ultimatums. Hard cutovers spike churn.
A practical 30‑day execution plan
Week 1: Align the business model. Pick SKUs to steer to web. Approve a PSP and risk stack. Sign off on pricing tests and the receipt/entitlements design.
Week 2: Build and test deep link flows and web checkout. Implement server‑side receipt verification and entitlement granting. Wire up tax and invoice delivery.
Week 3: Ship to a 5–10% holdout audience in the U.S. Measure conversion, completion time, refunds, and chargebacks. Compare GPB vs. web net margin.
Week 4: Roll to 50–100% where results hold. Start subscription lifecycle tooling (self‑serve cancel, downgrade/upgrade parity). Document support playbooks.
What this means for leadership
For product: treat payments like a feature with a roadmap. A/B test flows, not just prices. Own renewals UX—the unglamorous retention engine.
For engineering: carve out a billing core service with stable contracts. Build tests that simulate GPB and your web biller interchangeably. Make observability first‑class.
For finance: update revenue recognition, deferral schedules, and dispute budgets. With web, chargebacks are your problem—get the numbers right.
For growth: bundle longer terms on web, use risk‑based promos, and track “Play‑installed / web‑purchased” cohorts distinctly.
Let’s get practical—tools and help
If you need a partner to design the hybrid billing architecture, stand up a registered store proof‑of‑concept, or modernize your Android stack to target API level 35, our team does this work end‑to‑end. See how we approach product and platform builds on our what we do page, browse relevant case studies in our portfolio, and dig into engineering playbooks on our blog. When you’re ready to move, reach out via contact—we’ll scope a quick discovery and a 30‑60‑90 plan. If you prefer fixed deliverables, check our services and we’ll tailor a package for your team.
What to do next (this week)
1) Decide your default: GPB for one‑taps, web for subs—or hybrid by SKU.
2) Pick a PSP and risk vendor, signed this week.
3) Implement server‑authoritative receipts and entitlements before any UI work.
4) Ship a 10% U.S. experiment with clear price/value messaging.
5) Align finance on tax, invoices, and refunds for web sales.
6) Update your Android targetSdk to 35 and regression test behavior changes.
7) Draft support macros for refunds, cancels, restore purchases, and web vs. in‑app differences.
Zooming out, the winners here won’t be the first teams to link out. They’ll be the ones who rebuild their monetization stack with the same craftsmanship they put into their core product—and who keep that stack flexible as policy keeps moving.
