Google’s US Play Store Now Lets Developers Link to Alternative App Store and Payment Options

Google is opening up the Play Store’s walled garden in the US and now allows developers to link to alternative app stores and payment options. Google is making these changes to comply with an injunction from an US District Court as part of its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games.

In practice, the Google Play Store in the US will no longer prevent developers from communicating about the availability or pricing of an app outside the Google Play Store. Developers will also be free to invite users to download their apps from alternative app stores.

Regarding payment systems, apps on the US Play Store can now use payment systems other than Google Play Billing. Developers opting to use alternative payment systems in their apps will also be able to set prices freely.

These requirements only apply to the US Play Store and will be in effect for three years. Overall, these are very positive changes for both developers and Android users as they should help to lower fees for everyone. “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,” Google said yesterday.