Overview
- Google announced a phased rollout that begins June 30, 2026 for the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area and expands to Australia on September 30, to Japan and South Korea on December 31, and the rest of the world by September 30, 2027.
- The company replaced the single 30% cut with a separated service fee and billing fee where the service fee starts at 10% on the first $1 million in annual earnings and Play Billing adds a 5% billing fee in the initial markets.
- Developers can now offer alternative in‑app billing systems or link users to external websites to complete purchases and avoid the 5% Play Billing surcharge while still paying the service fee.
- Google will offer reduced rates through a revamped Games Level Up program and a new Apps Experience program that require specific technical integrations and quality benchmarks and that publish program rate cards on September 30, 2026.
- The changes implement key terms of Google’s settlement with Epic Games but the full agreement still awaits formal court approval and later obligations such as certifying third‑party app stores remain to be carried out.