Google slashes fee it takes from third-party subscription apps
Alphabet Inc.’s Google is slashing the fees it takes from subscription services on its app store following pressure from developers and lawmakers.
Beginning Jan. 1, the Google Play Store will charge thirdparty subscription apps a 15 per cent commission, the company said Thursday. Previously, subscription apps were charged 30 per cent for the first year, then 15 per cent thereafter. Google also charged 15 per cent for the first $1 million (U.S.) in revenue.
Google said it’s making the change because “customer churn makes it challenging for subscription businesses to benefit” from getting a discount in the second year.
“Digital subscriptions have become one of the fastestgrowing models for developers, but we know that subscription businesses face specific challenges in customer acquisition and retention,” Sameer Samat, a vice-president at Google, said in a blog post.
The company also faces broader criticism that the Google and Apple Inc. app stores have grown too powerful and force developers to play by restrictive rules. Apple also charges 15 per cent for subscriptions after the first year, but hasn’t lowered the cut from 30 per cent in Year One.
Google Play apps that aren’t subscription-based will still have to share 30 per cent of their revenue, but that drops to 15 per cent for the first $1 million in revenue as well. The company says 99 per cent of developers qualify for a service fee of 15 per cent or less.
Gaming revenue, the largest driver of both Google Play and App Store sales, isn’t affected. That’s because most games use in-app-purchases, which are separate from subscriptions. Subscriptions typically apply to productivity services, media apps like newspapers and music services, and dating apps.
The company is also changing its fee structure for media apps.
Earlier this year, Google launched a Play Media Experience program for select developers that charged a variable rate below 15 per cent depending on the type of media app.
The program will now make rates as low as 10 per cent for those partners. Such apps require over 100,000 monthly active users, plus deep integration with several Google services and cross-device support.