Google updates terms for app marketplace following EU pressure

Google will make it easier for app developers to direct Android users outside of its own ecosystem to make purchases and transactions, after regulators said the tech giant violated European Union law.

In March, the European Commission accused Google’s parent company Alphabet of failing to comply with EU rules that bar technology companies from unfairly steering users toward their own products or services.

The Commission said the company prevented app developers from informing users about “other channels for better offers” outside of Google Play, its app marketplace. It also said the company charged fees when developers got new customers that went “beyond what is justified”.

In response, Google said it will make changes to its terms, including reducing developer fees and adding “flexibility” to direct users from their apps to other links.

“While we still have concerns that these changes could expose Android users to harmful content and make the app experience worse, we're updating our External Offers Program for the EU with revised fees and more options for Android developers, following DMA discussions with the European Commission,” said Clare Kelly, Google’s senior competition counsel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

In a statement provided to Euronews Next, Kelly said Google Play and Android, Google’s mobile operating system, have generated more than €3 billion in revenue for European developers.

EU regulators have been scrutinising Google, Meta, and Apple since the Digital Markets Act (DMA) went into force in 2023. The law aims to rein in the tech giants’ gatekeeping power.

In April, the Commission fined Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million for violating the DMA.