The external offers programme allows developers of Google Play-managed apps to lead users in the European Economic Area (EEA) outside the app, including to promote offers for in-app features and services, subject to Google Play's payments policy.
As part of our continued compliance with the EU Digital Markets Act, we have made additional updates to our external offers programme to offer more flexibility for developers while balancing trust and safety needs across the ecosystem. Developers must meet eligibility requirements and complete their enrolment in this programme prior to promoting external offers.
The revised programme will have the following key changes
- More developer flexibility to direct users from their app via actionable links, with more options to conclude contracts for their offers as well as the ability to link to enable download of their apps.
- Updated fee model for the programme, including reduction of the duration and level of the initial acquisition (IA) fee as well as splitting of the ongoing service fee into two tiers:
- Tier 1 ongoing service: A required tier for essential service that developers need in order to have a safe and reliable app.
- Tier 2 ongoing service: An optional tier for additional service, detailed below.
When will these changes be available?
- On 19 August 2025:
- Developers who enrol in the external offers programme can link users to external offers to purchase their in-app digital items and subscriptions based on the revised programme requirements.
- On 9 December 2025, we rolled out additional programme requirements along with updated APIs for the ability to:
- Link to owned-app downloads: Declaring external app links in the Play Console and implementation of our upcoming APIs will be required before developers can link to external app downloads.
- Enable selecting a service tier: As part of the new programme, developers will need to choose their desired ongoing service tier (tier 1 or tier 2). Note that some tier 2 capabilities may be provided temporarily to all apps even after choosing tier 1.
- All developers who are currently participating in the programme will be credited for any difference in paid fees with the new pricing terms after they select their service tier.
Communication and promotion of offers
Developers will have broad flexibility over the destinations and types of offers to which they can steer their users. In particular, we will:
- Allow developers to show links that lead users to any destination for the purchase of their in-app digital items and subscriptions in a webview, in an already-installed app store on the device or on a browser.
- The URLs can contain additional parameters as long as no PII (personally identifiable information) data is transferred within the URL. Until updated APIs are used by developers to dynamically provide these URLs, those enrolled in the programme need to still declare URLs in Play Console for review.
- Allow developers to show links that enable the user to download developers' own apps subject to complying with updated programme requirements and APIs.
Because links leading users outside Play's secure environment on Android's open ecosystem can expose users to serious security threats, we are introducing additional security and transparency measures to support this expanded functionality while maintaining the level of user trust that benefits Play users and developers.
- Security review. Apps including links and app downloads as well as destinations promoted via links will be reviewed for compliance with our updated programme terms. This includes reviews against our Play developer policies to ensure that linked content is free from harmful and illicit material. While Play will review content, we cannot ensure the safety of this content to the same extent as that in Play-distributed apps.
- A streamlined Google linkout prompt. To ensure transparency, an information screen will appear when a user clicks on a linkout in a given app. This screen will inform the user that they are leaving Play and provide an option to choose whether to see further link prompts for this app, enabling a seamless experience on subsequent clicks based on the user’s choice.
Play Store service
Like our standard service fees, the fees associated with the external offers programme reflect the value provided by Android and Play and support our continued investments across Android and Play. This includes everything from app distribution and discovery, the ability to launch apps across form factors, user trust and safety and other platform tools needed to create, test and launch apps to a global audience.
Developers enrolled in the programme can promote offers from the app or continue to provide in-app monetisation services using their own billing service after enrolling and meeting the programme requirements in the alternative billing without user choice programme. To provide a differentiated experience to users, given the elevated security risks associated with linking out, developers cannot use Google Play Billing or user choice billing in their app when enrolled in this programme.
Once enrolled in the programme, developers will be able to select which service tier they want for their app. By default, developers enrolled in the programme will receive both tier 1 and tier 2 service.
- Tier 1 ongoing service: This tier includes features that are needed for developers to offer a safe and reliable app, including essential trust and safety elements, such as app review, malware and vulnerability scanning and basic discovery and distribution features. This service is required for all developers communicating and promoting offers while the app is still managed by Play.
- Tier 2 ongoing service: This tier provides additional capabilities for app distribution, discovery and management and includes advanced optional service elements, such as the ability to be discovered via non-navigational search, custom promotional campaigns and re-engagement tools that help maintain user activity over the lifetime of the app.
See more details on ongoing service tiers here.
Play Store fee changes
The programme has an updated fee model, including a reduction in the duration of the initial acquisition (IA) fee to just 6 months from app installation time and the level to 3%, with options to further reduce ongoing service fees by choosing to use Play's tier 1 service only. Additionally, links to app downloads will have a fixed fee per download based on app category.
Here's the summary of the fee breakdown in different scenarios.|
Fees |
Qualifying criteria |
Links to purchase in-app content |
Links to downloads |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Initial acquisition fee |
<6 months after Play-managed app installation |
3% of each transaction's amount after a successful offer |
3% of transactions in the downloaded app |
|
|
>six months after Play-managed app installation |
0% |
|||
|
Tier 1 ongoing service (required) |
While app is receiving Play Store service |
10% of transactions after a successful offer conversion |
Fixed rate per user country and app category (see below) for each install |
|
|
Tier 2 ongoing service (Optional) |
+10% IAP/+3% subs after a successful offer conversion |
Fixed rate per user country and app category (see below) for each install |
||
Fixed fees for app downloads
For our tier 1 and tier 2 ongoing service, we have introduced a fixed fee structure when an app is downloaded following a link. This ensures that Play is compensated for the value that it provides to the Play app such as services designed to keep Play users safe and platform tools for managing their Play app.
Tier 1 ongoing service, fixed fee rate per install* (euro):
|
Country group |
Group 1 |
Group 2 |
Group 3 |
Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Apps |
0.90 |
0.75 |
0.50 |
0.20 |
| Games |
0.95 |
0.70 |
0.30 |
0.10 |
Tier 1 + tier 2 ongoing service, fixed fee rate per install* (euro):
|
Country group |
Group 1 |
Group 2 |
Group 3 |
Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Apps |
1.80 |
1.50 |
1.00 |
0.40 |
| Games |
1.90 |
1.40 |
0.60 |
0.20 |
* subject to periodic adjustments
|
Country groups |
List of countries |
|---|---|
|
Group 1 |
Austria, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Norway |
|
Group 2 |
Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Malta, Netherlands, Sweden |
|
Group 3 |
Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain |
|
Group 4 |
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania |
Next steps
You can sign up for the external offers programme to link users to external purchase offers with more flexibility.