Google is doing away with its 30 percent fee in the Android App Store, which could potentially ease costs for everyday users.
The news dropped this week that Google planned to revamp its app store’s inner workings amid a settlement with Epic, the gaming company that makes Fortnite. (Google and Epic have been involved in a years-long legal feud, which ended in Epic’s favor.)
Now, the tech giant has announced it’s cutting service fees to 20 percent and, in some cases, 15 percent. It also cut its subscription fee to 10 percent. Note that these savings are for developers and companies that make apps and not, necessarily, for the end user.
The cuts were announced a host of other changes within the Android App Store. It’s not entirely clear what those changes will mean for everyday users, but we have an idea.
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First of all: With Google cutting the service fee, you’d hope the companies on the other end would pass those newfound savings back to users. I wouldn’t hold my breath, but it is a possibility.
But Google also noted that developers will be allowed to guide users away from their app store, which could end up creating savings for users in other ways. Cutting out the middleman entirely could allow app developers to offer lower prices via direct sales.
Wrote Google in a blog post:
“Mobile developers will have the option to use their own billing systems in their app alongside Google Play’s billing, or they can guide users outside of their app to their own websites for purchases. Our goal is to offer this flexibility in a way that maximizes choice and safety for users.”
So, in short, nothing really changes too much for you, the user, yet. At best, you might be able to save a bit of cash down the line.
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Topics
Apps & Software
Google
