Google Implements 30% Cut For All Google Play Store Sales

Google has announced that it will begin enforcing its longstanding policy of forcing app developers who use its Play Store to also use its payment system, which takes a 30% cut from any revenue on any up-front costs or in-app purchases.

The update, announced on their blog Monday, has actually been the policy of Google for a long time but is only now being fully implemented. The post announcing the change noted that only 3% of apps use up-front payment or in-app purchases, and of those only 3% don’t currently use Google’s payment service. By that data only 0.09% of apps will be affected by the change, or one in 10,000.

That tiny slice, however, contains some big names. Fortnight, the blockbuster video game from Epic Games, was removed from the Google Play Store after it enabled in-app purchases that bypassed Google’s payment system. Apple removed them from their store for the same reason and was sued in response.

The move brings the tech giant up to the same standard as Apple. Apply has faced criticism for taking such a heavy cut from its developers, but Google hasn’t faced as much outcry. This is partly because the Google Play Store doesn’t have as large a user base.

The criticism is also blunted because Google ships most android phones with at least two separate app stores, giving developers options if they don’t want to use Google’s payment system. It’s through this diverse marketplace that Fortnite is still available on Android phones despite being removed from Google’s storefront.

“We believe that developers should have a choice in how they distribute their apps and that stores should compete for the consumer’s and the developer’s business,” the announcement noted, “Choice has always been a core tenet of Android, and it’s why consumers have always had control over which apps they use, be it their keyboard, messaging app, phone dialer, or app store.”

Google ended its post by highlighting that the money it collects from in-store payments help fund storefront updates and ongoing support, and asking that developers and users continue to give feedback on their policies.