Changes to the external offers program for users in the EEA

The external offers program 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 program to offer more flexibility for developers while balancing trust and safety needs across the ecosystem. Developers must meet eligibility requirements, and complete their enrollment in this program prior to promoting external offers.

The revised program 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 Program, 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?

• Starting today:
  • Developers who enroll in the external offers program can link users to external offers to purchase their in-app digital items and subscriptions based on today’s revised program requirements.
  • Developers who have previously enrolled in the external offers program will have 3 months to become compliant with these revised program requirements.
• This Fall, we will roll out additional program 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 program, 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 program 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 available for developers to dynamically provide these URLs, those enrolled in the program need to still declare URLs in Play Console for review.
• (Available this Fall) Allow developers to show links that enable the user to download developers’ own apps subject to complying with updated program 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 Program terms. This includes reviews against our Play Developer Policies to ensure 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 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 program 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 program can promote offers from the app or continue to provide in-app monetization services using their own billing service after enrolling and meeting the program requirements in the alternative billing without user choice program. 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 Program.

Once enrolled in the program developers will be able to select which service tier they want for their app. By default developers enrolled in the program will receive both Tier 1 and Tier 2 service. More details on the two tiers of service are below:

• 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.

Developers can move an app between tiers on a per-app, per-country basis once in six months. Below is a list of Play ongoing service features and the allocation to Tier 1 or Tier 1 + Tier 2, (more details on how these features will work in the tiered experience will be available in the future).

Ongoing service features

Store experience

User trust & safety

Test and release

Monitor and improve

Grow users

Other business services

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 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):

Tier 1 + Tier 2 Ongoing Service, Fixed Fee Rate per Install* (Euro):

* subject to periodic adjustments