Google Lowers Play Store Subscription Fee From 30% to 15%

After lowering its Play Store commission from 30 percent to 15 percent in March, Google today announced that it is making the same change to subscription fees, an update applicable to all app developers, reports The Verge.

play store google
At the current time, Google's subscription policy works like Apple's. Google collects 30 percent from a subscription during the first year, and then drops that to 15 percent for each subsequent year if customers keep a continuous subscription going.

Google recognizes that many businesses are unable to benefit from the fee cut because of the continuous rule that it has, so Google is dropping all subscription fees to 15 percent "from day one," effectively removing prior year-long subscription requirement. The fee cut was also previously limited to the first $1 million in revenue.

Apple also offers reduced 15 percent subscription fees from day one, but that's limited to developers who are part of its App Store Small Business Program, which is available to those who earn up to but don’t exceed to $1 million in a calendar year. For other developers that are not part of that program, Apple takes a 30 percent cut until a subscriber has been subscribed to a service for 12 months.

All apps in the Google Play Store will pay 15 percent instead of 30 percent for all subscriptions, but Google also plans to lower the fee even further for some ebooks and on-demand streaming music service apps. Fees could be as low as 10 percent for apps that fall into these categories.

Google is making the change to subscription fees as it faces increased regulatory pressure much like Apple. It too is in the same legal battle over in-app purchases as Apple with Epic Games, and it is under the same scrutiny in the United States and other countries.

Popular Stories

Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
Mayday Calendar

Apple Acquisition Hints at Upgraded Calendar App on iOS 19 or Beyond

Friday May 9, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now. Apple is legally required to report certain acquisitions to the European Commission, under the terms of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Mayday Labs founder Jeremy...
airpods pro purple

Apple's Camera Equipped AirPods and Apple Watch Could Launch as Soon as 2027

Thursday May 8, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple is working on versions of the AirPods and Apple Watch that incorporate a camera, and the devices could be ready to launch sometime around 2027, reports Bloomberg. Apple has developed a chip codenamed "Nevis" that will be used for its camera-equipped Apple Watch, while a chip codenamed "Glennie" will be incorporated into the AirPods. Apple is aiming to have the chips ready "by around...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Submits Fortnite to U.S. App Store

Friday May 9, 2025 9:57 am PDT by
As promised, Epic Games today submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and if approved by Apple, it will mark the first time that the Fortnite app has been available in the United States since 2020. Fortnite will include options to purchase in-app currency from the web rather than through in-app purchase, which is what got the game banned to begin with. This time, though, Apple has been...

Top Rated Comments

mi7chy Avatar
46 months ago

Wait, so it wasn’t only Apple that had the outrageous 30% fee?? Did the courts know this?? How come Apple didn’t point this out?? /s
Android sideloading like MacOS, Windows, Linux, etc. circumvents the Google Play Store and fees. Apple Play Store is a forced tax. Imagine if state/federal forces you to buy electronics at msrp with tax from brick and mortar and you couldn't buy for less than msrp without tax from private party.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blazerunner Avatar
46 months ago
Your turn, Apple.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KindJamz Avatar
46 months ago
Nice job Google. Don’t use your services too much but for people that do this is a win
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiseAJ Avatar
46 months ago
Now watch as prices still remain exactly the same for all of the subscriptions, no benefit at all to customers.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
46 months ago
Wow! Change is happening. Next up
Is Apple. Please lower the subscription fee. Apple you make a lot of money via services alone.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jakotako Avatar
46 months ago
Regardless of how one looks at it, it is pretty comical that Epic's lawsuit helps to push these changes, however, Epic's Fortnite will not return to any of the stores profiting from this until the litigation is resolved.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)