Changes to Google Play's billing requirements for developers serving users in India

Google Play believes that users should have the choice to use Play’s billing system when they make digital goods purchase from apps installed from Google Play. We built Google Play’s billing system to the highest standards for privacy and safety so users can be confident when they make in-app purchases. Alternative billing systems also may not offer the same protections or payment options and features of Google Play's billing system — such as parental controls, family payment methods, subscription management, Google Play gift cards, and Play Points.

Google Play’s service fee has never been simply a fee for payment processing. It reflects the value provided by Android and Google Play, and all of the developer services we offer, including app distribution and discovery, the commerce platform, developer tools, analytics, training, and more. Visit this article for more information on the service fee.

Alternative billing systems can be used for in-app purchases and subscriptions sold to mobile and tablet users. Please refer to the Payments policy for more information.

Developers must pay Google the applicable service fees. When a consumer chooses to use an alternative billing system, the standard service fee the developer pays will be reduced by 4% For users who select Google Play’s billing system, the service fee will remain as it is today. The service fee for developers who continue with only Google Play's billing systems remains the same, with 99% of developers qualifying for a service fee of 15% or less.

Starting November 14, 2023, transactions made through the alternative billing system can be reported using the alternative billing APIs and must be reported within 24 hours of the payment being authorized. These APIs streamline reporting for developers, and also enable transactions through an alternative billing system to be reflected in Google Play’s Top Charts.

You can continue to manually self-report the transactions if you have not yet integrated with the alternative billing APIs. If reporting manually, you are required to self-report the amount of paid transactions once a month by the 5th business day of the month. For example, the report for the transactions made in October 2023 will be due November 7, 2023. Once you complete the declaration form, we will review your information and send you instructions on how to report your paid transactions and what payments you are required to remit for service fees and any applicable taxes.

The service fee is calculated based on the paid transactions from mobile and tablet users in India. You will receive an invoice with a due date and payment instructions.

No, developers can have different prices on each billing system if they choose.

If you are offering user choice billing with alternative billing APIs integration, the user experience requirements will be met by integrating with and using the client-side APIs.

Yes, developers using an alternative billing system can promote the alternative billing system within their app, but they must also follow our UX guidelines or offer alternative billing using alternative billing APIs to ensure users understand the choice provided, and have a consistent user experience.

Yes, this program allows developers to use web-based payments as an alternative payment method in an embedded webview within their app. Like other alternative payment methods, these would be subject to the requirements for the program listed on this page, including all user trust and safety requirements, as well as the service fee.

If your app was enrolled in the user choice billing pilot for Indian users before February 22, 2023, you do not need to enroll again through the India program for alternative billing. However, you are required to submit an updated app package enrollment form if you change the alternative billing offering in a country for a given app package.