Google begins global Android billing overhaul after Epic settlement

Google will start its billing-choice program on June 30 in the United States, European Economic Area and United Kingdom, giving Android developers a new route to steer buyers to alternative billing or to their own websites. The change lands as the company moves away from a flat 30 percent app-store model and into a system built around lower service fees and more checkout options.

Under the new structure, developers can offer an alternative billing system alongside Google Play Billing or send users to their own purchase pages. Developers may design their own choice screen as long as it follows Google’s user-experience guidelines. The service fee starts at 10 percent on the first $1 million in annual earnings, while a separate 5 percent billing fee applies in the United States, United Kingdom and EEA when Google Play Billing is used. For other transactions, Google set its standard rate at 20 percent for new installs and 25 percent for existing installs. Developers in Google’s Apps Experience Program or Games Level Up Program can qualify for 15 percent and 20 percent rates instead on non-recurring transactions.

The billing-choice program is available globally for developers serving users in the UK and EEA, alongside the company’s programs in the US. Google processes digital commerce across more than 195 markets and supports more than 300 local payment methods.

The overhaul follows the March 4 settlement announcement between Google and Epic Games. The companies resolved disputes worldwide, including in the United States, Australia and the UK. Epic said Google’s changes would open Android devices to competition in stores and payments, and that Fortnite would return to Google Play worldwide.

The fight began in August 2020, when Epic filed its antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. A federal jury found in December 2023 that Google had illegally monopolized Android app distribution and in-app billing. On September 12, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the permanent injunction and gave Google ten months from issuance of the mandate to comply with key remedies.