In response to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, this page sets out Google Play’s general conditions of access for developers offering apps to users in the European Economic Area (EEA). Google Play’s general conditions of access may differ where developers are offering apps to users outside the EEA.
A. Getting Started as a Google Play developer
Developers can sign up to Google Play quickly and easily by taking the following steps:
- Signing up for a Play Console developer account using their Google Account.
- Accepting the Developer Distribution Agreement (DDA) and the Play Console Terms of Service.
- Paying a one-off USD $25 registration fee.
- Choosing from an organizational or personal account.
- Verifying their developer identity information.
- If a developer opts for a personal account, meeting testing requirements before making their app available on Google Play.
B. Google Play’s service as a full lifecycle partner
Google Play supports apps across their entire lifecycle, so that developers can build, grow, and monetize their apps to their full potential. Google Play’s lifecycle support covers a range of features, including:
I. A trusted environment that keeps users and developers safe
The internet can be a daunting place for consumers, and not all apps and online platforms are guaranteed to be secure. Google Play constantly invests in its world-class security systems to ensure that users and developers are protected from new and evolving threats. This gives users the confidence they need to download, update, and transact with developers' apps, and protects developers from fraud.
Google Play’s security framework vets all new apps and app updates for a wide range of risks, such as malware, inappropriate content, fraudulent techniques, and fake or pirated products. Our review process relies on a mix of human review, machine-learning processes and advanced automated review tools. Google Play reviews thousands of new apps and app updates in this manner every day, and invests significantly in a global review team to ensure Google Play is able to assess all new and updated apps. Google Play runs more than 10,000 safety checks on every app, and continues to check apps after they are published. As a result of Google Play's security measures, in 2025, Google Play:
- Prevented over 1.75 million policy-violating apps from being published;
- Banned more than 80,000 bad developer accounts that attempted to publish harmful apps;
- Prevented over 255,000 apps from gaining excessive access to sensitive user data.
II. Developer tools to test, build, and optimize apps
We want developers to be successful from the get-go. To help them achieve this, Google Play provides how-to guides, case studies, and training modules for all levels of experience through the Google Play Academy. These resources cover everything from app development basics to marketing and monetization strategies.
Google Play’s test and build features allow developers to build high-quality apps and test them prior to release. Developers can evaluate the performance of their builds through a range of Google Play features such as crash reporting, performance tools, and security testing. Developers can also distribute their builds to trusted reviewers and receive bespoke pre-launch reports from Google Play, in order to ensure their apps hit the ground running.In fact, apps that use Google Play’s testing tools have, on average, three times the amount of app installs and user engagement compared to those that do not.
Our tools don’t just support developers when building their apps: developers are able to use Google Play’s optimization tools to continually improve their apps across their entire lifecycle. These tools include, for example, Google Play’s Android Performance Tuner, Android Vitals, the Google Play Developer Reporting API, and Play Asset Delivery.
III. Infrastructure to distribute, update, and reinstall your apps
Google Play provides state-of-the-art technical infrastructure across a vast range of devices so that users can easily and reliably download apps, receive app updates, and reinstall apps when they change their devices. Google Play’s scalable infrastructure allows developers to update their apps in just a few clicks, so that users can receive new app content wherever they are in the world. Google Play performs more than 24 billion individual updates per week, and its 150,000 servers process 2.4 million queries per second to meet the unique demands of serving digital content to billions of devices.
IV. Tools to acquire users and grow your audience
Google Play provides a range of app discovery and ranking tools so that users can discover apps. We also provide tools specifically designed to help developers acquire new users. These include pre-registration tools to drive demand for an app before it’s launched; promotional content so that developers can promote content to users outside their app; translation services so that apps can reach a global audience in their preferred language; and statistics tools to allow developers to assess their performance against similar apps.
V. Tools to engage, re-engage, and retain users
Google Play provides a range of features that support user engagement and re-engagement, such as custom store listings to target inactive users, push notifications to engage and re-engage users, and tailored training on how to boost user engagement.
C. Our service fee
Google Play charges a service fee reflecting the ongoing value that we provide.
To reflect the value that Google Play provides in the broader Google Play ecosystem, we charge developers a percentage fee for paid app downloads and purchases of in-app digital content, and a separate billing fee where a transaction is completed using Google Play's billing system.Developers can find further information about our fees in our Payments policy.
Google Play’s transaction-based charging model means we only charge our service fee when a developer on Google Play sells in-app digital goods and services. As a result, we don’t make money unless our developers do too.
Our transaction-based charging model is designed to give developers flexibility to choose their preferred business model by:
- Allowing developers to offer free content in their app without incurring any Google Play fees.
- Encouraging developers to offer free content alongside paid content in their app (the "freemium" model). This allows developers to acquire and engage users with free content without incurring any fees.
- Reducing upfront costs for developers, as Google Play only charges its service fee once a developer has completed a digital purchase.
For transactions with users in the EEA, the service fee depends on the transaction type and on whether the user is a new or existing install. A user is a new install where their first-time install or first update of the app from Google Play occurred on or after 30 June 2026. All other users are existing installs.
Developers can read more about our service fee here
|
Service fee type |
Auto-renewing subscriptions |
Other transactions (new installs) |
Other transactions (existing installs) |
| First $1M (USD) of annual earnings |
10% + 5% billing fee * |
||
| Standard |
10% |
20% + 5% billing fee * |
25% + 5% billing fee * OR 20% for external web links |
| When participating in the Play Games Level Up or Apps Experience programs | 10% + 5% billing fee * |
15% + 5% billing fee * |
20% + 5% billing fee * OR 15% for external web links |
Sections E and F below set out how the service fee applies where a developer completes transactions through an alternative billing system or takes part in the External Offers program.
D. Our policies
Google Play’s policies protect users and developers, and maintain Google Play’s high-quality environment
Google Play’s policies apply equally to all apps, including Google’s own. Google Play’s policies are set out in the Google Play DDA. The DDA sets out the contractual relationship between developers and Google in relation to the use of Google Play to distribute products. The DDA incorporates various Developer Program Policies (DPPs). Further information about the DPPs can be found in the Developer Policy Center. The DDA and DPPs apply globally. Developers should make sure that their apps comply with the DDA and DPPs in all jurisdictions where they distribute apps.
For developers offering the EEA-specific programs outlined in section E below, additional conditions apply. Developers must also ensure that apps subject to EEA-specific programs are not offered to users outside the EEA.
Complying with Google Play’s policies
Google Play’s policies ensure that users are protected from malicious, harmful, and exploitative content, and that apps meet basic requirements to ensure their functionality for users. Google Play’s policies are essential to maintain Google Play’s trusted environment which gives users the confidence to download and transact with Google Play apps.
We make it easy for developers to comply with Google Play’s policies:
- Our policies are written in straightforward language, and are made freely available online;
- Developers are given adequate notice before new policies are introduced or existing policies are updated with new requirements;
- Google Play provides a policy status tracker for their apps, which allows developers to manage their compliance with new and existing Google Play policies.
Developers can find educational resources on complying with Google Play Policies here, as well as on the Google Play Academy, which provides free training courses on complying with Google Play’s policies.
E. Manage payments your way
Developers can choose whether to complete in-app purchases through Google Play's billing system or via an alternative billing provider.
Google Play offers developers the flexibility to choose whether to complete in-app purchases through Google Play's billing system, or through a developer’s own billing system. Transactions that take place within a Google Play app but rely on an alternative billing system benefit from the same Play services as other in-app purchases except for billing services.The billing fee described in section C therefore does not apply to these transactions.
Developers can complete transactions via an alternative billing system by enrolling in one or more of the following programs:
- Google Play’s user choice billing program, which allows developers to provide their users with a choice between completing their transactions through Google Play's billing system or through an alternative billing system. Google Play’s billing fee (described at Section C above) applies only to transactions the user completes through Google Play's billing system. Read this Help Center article for more information about the user choice billing program.
-
Google Play’s EEA program, which allows developers to offer their users an alternative billing system only, without also offering Google Play's billing system. Transactions completed through an alternative billing system under the EEA program are subject to the standard service fee, less an adjustment of 3 percentage points. Read this Help Center article for more information about the EEA program.
Developers are required to comply with the terms of these programs. In particular, developers must use the programs’ APIs to accurately report transactions completed via these programs, and must comply with relevant UX requirements to ensure that users are not misled or exposed to unsafe or illegal content.For more information, see our Help Center page on alternative billing.
F. Promote and conclude transactions across platforms
Developers are free to promote external offers and conclude contracts for them.
Developers have a range of options for promoting to their Google Play users content which is available for purchase outside their app (such as developers’ own webstores).
Developers are free to contact their Google Play users with promotions through off-Google Play channels, such as emails or text messages. Developers may also promote offers within their Google Play apps, including by enabling "linkouts." Google Play provides an external offers program to enable such in-app promotions, as described below.
Google Play does not restrict users from concluding contracts outside their apps which result from such promotions. And users are able to consume content within their Google Play apps that they have purchased outside the app.
Google Play’s external offers program enables developers to present within their Google Play apps promotional messages and hyperlinks for external offers on their sites, where users can contract for those offers. Developers in the external offers program that include in-app promotions that lead users outside the app must implement measures to make users aware that they are transacting outside the app without the security and safety that Play provides. The relevant requirements are published on the External Offers program Help Center page.
The following fees apply when a user completes any transactions or any app installs within 24 hours of following an external content link:
- Initial acquisition fee: 0% of each transaction's amount after a successful offer or of each transaction's amount in the downloaded app.
- Ongoing service fee: See table below:
|
Ongoing service fee |
Links to purchases of auto-renewing subscriptions | Links to purchases for all other offers of in-app digital items | Links to app download event |
| Standard | 10% | 20% | 1.20 euro per install (subject to periodic adjustments) |
| When participating in the new Apps & Games programs | 10% | 15% | |
| First $1M annual earnings | 10% | 10% |
Read this Help Center article for more information on the External Offers program and information on how to enroll your app.
G. Appeals and mediation
Appeals
If a developer believes that we have applied our policies incorrectly to an app, a developer may challenge our enforcement action through Google Play’s internal appeals process. Google Play will reinstate a developer’s app in the event that an enforcement action was taken in error. To launch an appeal, developers can click the link in the information email they receive from Google or complete and submit this form.
Developers may also be able to reverse any Google Play enforcement action by correcting the issue identified with an app, and submitting a compliant version of their app. This Help Center article provides further information on resubmitting an app.
Mediation
Where a dispute relating to the application of Google Play’s policies to apps offered through Google Play to users in the EEA is not resolved through Google’s internal appeals process, the developer also has the option to resolve its dispute through Google Play’s Alternative Dispute Settlement Mechanism, an independent mediation scheme operated by the Center for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). Mediation is a flexible, confidential, and impartial process conducted without prejudice to a party’s legal position whereby a neutral third party mediator aids disputing parties in negotiating to reach a mutually agreeable resolution.
Except as required by law, mediation is voluntary and neither the developer nor Google is obliged to mediate a dispute.
Developers may apply to mediate a dispute by filling out the application form which is available here. If the developer and Google agree to mediate, then the mediation will be paid for by Google, but the developer will be responsible for all its other costs of attending and preparing for the mediation, including legal costs.
To facilitate the process for developers, CEDR has published guidance which is available herewhich covers how to prepare for mediation and what to include in written case summaries which are usually submitted to the mediator and exchanged prior to the mediation. The outcome of a mediation is not binding on the developer or Google, and does not affect the developer’s ability to pursue its complaint under any applicable laws.
H. Leaving Google Play
Developers can terminate their Play Console developer account by:
- Unpublishing any software, content, digital materials, and other items and services they have made available on Google Play Console.
- Stopping their use of Google Play Console and other relevant developer credentials.
Developers can find more information on terminating their Play Console developer account in Section 10 of the DDA.