In this article +
Key takeaways
- 01Google now charges a service fee plus a separate billing fee. The service fee starts at 10% on your first $1M (USD) a year, and the billing fee is 5% when you use Google Play’s billing in the US, UK, EEA, Australia and Japan.
- 02All auto-renewing subscriptions pay a 10% service fee. With Play billing, that is 15% in total.
- 03Above $1M, rates depend on whether a user is a “new install” (first installed or updated after the change in their country) or an existing one: 20% vs 25% for one-off in-app purchases.
- 04The optional Apps Experience Program cuts those rates by 5 points for apps that meet Google’s quality guidelines. Google says it does not affect store ranking.
- 05Since 22 July 2026, Google Play shares your store listing with approved third-party US app stores unless you opt out. Check Settings → Catalog Settings in Play Console.
For more than a decade the answer to “how much does Google take?” was 30%, or 15% for subscriptions and small developers. In 2026 that answer changed, and many indie developers haven’t looked at the new numbers yet.
The change comes out of Google’s settlement with Epic Games, announced in March 2026. The new fees went live in the US, UK and EEA on 30 June 2026, and in Australia and Japan on 30 September. Separately, a court-ordered program started sharing Google Play listings with rival app stores in the US. Both affect how much you keep and where people find your app.
- 10%
- service fee on your first $1M a year
- +5%
- billing fee when you use Play billing
- 10%
- service fee on all auto-renewing subscriptions
- 22 Jul
- listings shared with US rival stores by default
Fee and billing are now two separate charges
Google’s 24 June post on the Android Developers Blog explains the new model. Instead of one percentage, you pay a service fee for being on Google Play and, only if you use Google Play’s billing system, a separate billing fee.
The service fee starts at 10% on your first $1M (USD) in annual earnings.Google, Android Developers Blog
Google says this applies whether you use Google Play billing, an alternative billing system, or a link to your own website. The billing fee is 5% in the US, UK and EEA, and Play Console Help lists the same 5% for Australia and Japan. There is no billing fee on alternative billing or external web link transactions.
What you pay, in one table
| Transaction | First $1M a year | Above $1M, new installs | Above $1M, existing installs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-renewing subscription | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| One-off in-app purchase | 10% | 20% | 25% |
| Paid app (upfront price) | 10% | 20% | 25% |
| Purchase through an external web link | 10% | 20% | 20% |
A worked example
Say you sell a $4.99 monthly subscription and earn well under $1M a year. Before, Google’s subscription rate was 15%. Now it is a 10% service fee plus a 5% billing fee if you use Play billing: still 15%. If you instead link users to your own website to subscribe, Google’s service fee is 10%, but you pay your own payment processor, and you may lose some people in the extra step.
For most small subscription apps, the headline total barely moves. The bigger change is choice: you can now decide where people pay, and Google’s fee no longer makes that decision for you.
Where the new fees apply, and when
| Region | New fees start |
|---|---|
| United States, United Kingdom, EEA | 30 June 2026 |
| Australia, Japan | 30 September 2026 |
| South Korea | 31 December 2026 |
| Rest of world (including India) | 30 September 2027 |
Dates follow where your users are, not where you are. A developer in India selling to US users already pays the new US rates on those sales.
The Apps Experience Program: 5 points off, if your app qualifies
Above the first $1M, apps that meet Google’s quality guidelines can join the new, optional Apps Experience Program (games have a revamped program called Level Up). Enrollment opened in Play Console on 1 September 2026, and the lower rates became available on 30 September in the US, UK, EEA, Japan and Australia.
- One-off purchases: 15% instead of 20% for new installs, 20% instead of 25% for existing ones.
- External web link purchases: 15% instead of 20%.
- Subscriptions and your first $1M stay at 10%.
The requirements are demanding: crash, ANR, memory and jank rates below Google’s thresholds; adaptive layouts for phones, tablets and foldables; passkeys or approved sign-in; and launching features on Android within three weeks of other platforms. If you earn less than $1M a year, the program changes nothing for you today, though most of its guidelines are good practice anyway.
The setting most developers missed: your listing is on other stores
This is the part with the most direct impact on discovery. Under the Epic v. Google court order, Google launched the Play Catalog Access Program. Approved third-party app stores in the US can show apps from Google Play’s catalog, and since 22 July 2026 Google shares your listing with them unless you opted out. Google notified developers on 22 June.
- Downloads still go through Google Play, and Google’s fees still apply.
- Enrolled stores can be installed from inside Google Play instead of being sideloaded.
- According to RevenueCat (31 August 2026), Aptoide Games was the only enrolled store visible in Google Play at the time, with more expected.
- Each store sets its own content rules, so your app may appear next to apps Google Play would not allow.
You control this in Play Console under Settings → Catalog Settings. RevenueCat describes three options: share with all enrolled stores (the default), manage each store separately, or opt out.
Should you stay in?
- +Stay in if you want extra reach at no cost: downloads still complete through Google Play.
- +Switch to per-store control if your app handles health, money or children’s data, and read each store’s policies first.
- +Open each enrolled store and see how your listing actually looks there: title, icon and screenshots.
- +Check Catalog Settings again every few months, because new stores can join.
- −Assume nothing changed because you never touched the setting. The default is to share.
- −Write your title or short description for one storefront only. Your listing text now travels to places you don’t control.
- −Expect big install numbers from rival stores yet. They are small next to Google Play.
What this means for your ASO
Lower fees don’t move your rankings, but they change what each install is worth. If you link out to your own checkout, or you sell one-off purchases outside the old 15% small-developer tier, more of every sale now stays with you, and a keyword that brings 50 installs a day is worth more than it was in May. That makes the keywords where you rank #8 to #15, just off the first screen, worth fighting for.
- Recalculate what an install is worth with the new fee for your main markets.
- List the keywords that bring installs, and the ones where you sit just outside the top 10.
- Spend part of what you save on improving relevance and conversion for those keywords: title, short description, screenshots.
- Check Catalog Settings in Play Console, and look at your listing on any enrolled store.
- Track your positions daily for a few weeks after each change so you know what worked.
Is the Google Play fee still 30%?+
Not in the US, UK, EEA, Australia or Japan. Google now charges a service fee that starts at 10% on your first $1M a year, plus a 5% billing fee if you use Google Play’s billing. Above $1M, one-off purchases are 20% for new installs and 25% for existing installs. South Korea moves to the new structure on 31 December 2026 and the rest of the world on 30 September 2027.
What is the Google Play fee on subscriptions in 2026?+
A 10% service fee on all auto-renewing subscriptions, plus a 5% billing fee if the subscription goes through Google Play’s billing, so 15% in total. If you link users to your own website instead, Google’s service fee is 10% and there is no Google billing fee.
When did the new Google Play fees start?+
30 June 2026 in the US, UK and EEA, and 30 September 2026 in Australia and Japan. South Korea follows on 31 December 2026 and the rest of the world on 30 September 2027. Dates follow your users’ location.
Does the Apps Experience Program improve my ranking?+
No. Google’s program page says it does not affect store ranking. It gives a lower fee rate card to apps that meet its quality guidelines.
Is my app listed on other app stores now?+
Possibly. Since 22 July 2026, Google Play shares listings with approved third-party US app stores unless the developer opted out. Check Settings → Catalog Settings in Play Console.
Do downloads from those stores go through Google Play?+
Yes. Downloads through the Play Catalog Access Program complete through Google Play, and Google’s fees still apply.
Sources
- 01Android Developers Blog: Expanded billing choice and lower fees on Google Play (24 June 2026)
- 02Play Console Help: Service fees and rollout dates by region
- 03Google Play: Apps Experience Program
- 04Play Console Help: An update regarding Google Play’s policies for developers serving users in the US
- 05RevenueCat: Third-party Android app stores, the current setup for US developers (31 Aug 2026)
- 06TechCrunch: Google settles with Epic Games, drops its Play Store commissions to 20% (4 Mar 2026)
Specifications and figures are as published by Google and the listed sources at the time of writing (12 Oct 2026); check Play Console for the latest.