From today, Google can no longer restrict the use of alternative payment systems in the US Play store, or force developers to use Google Play Billing.
It’s another win for Epic, whose legal action paved the way for today’s changes. The court injunction only applies to the US Google Play store, but it means developers can offer US players a range of payment options when they buy IAP, and follows on from a similar ruling on the US App Store which came into effect in May of this year.
Google outlined the changes being made today on this webpage, which confirms that the tech giant can no longer “prohibit a developer from communicating with users about the availability or pricing of an app outside the Google Play Store” and cannot stop developers from offering a link to download the app outside the Google Play Store or transact outside the store.
Google also now cannot require the use of Google Play Billing in apps distributed on the Google Play Store, or “prohibit the use of in-app payment methods other than Google Play Billing”.
Google also notes, however, that the injunction is only valid for the period stated by the US courts, which is two years, ending on November 1 2027.
There may also be further policy changes to come, Google said: “In the near future we will share more program requirements and business model changes to preserve user trust and safety in the ecosystem, based on feedback from the developer and user community.”
