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Google Play’s policy parallels Apple’s in shape but differs in detail. The framework’s posture is the same: stay out of the app binary, communicate through owned channels, route subscribers to your branded web checkout.
Last reviewed: May 2026. Official source: Google Play payments policy.

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Google Play’s policy

Google Play places no restriction on direct email communication to your subscribers about external subscription options. Out-of-app communication is permitted by default — Google’s policy regulates in-app billing, not out-of-app messaging. The relevant carve-out for Recurr’s pattern is the consumption-only app allowance in Google Play’s Payments policy: users sign in and access content paid for outside the app. The app is consumption-only with respect to migrated subscribers — they paid on web — so Google Play Billing is not required for those subscribers.
  • Apps cannot use in-app links or buttons that direct users to alternative payment methods inside the app (consistent with Apple)
  • Apps can communicate with users via email or other developer-owned channels about external subscription options
  • Apps can allow users to manage subscriptions on the web — Google does not require in-app management as the only path
Recent regulatory pressure (US antitrust litigation, regional billing programs) has loosened Google Play’s restrictions further in some jurisdictions. The framework tracks the latest applicable rules and adjusts on a per-jurisdiction basis.

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What the framework does on Google Play

Same posture as Apple:
  • No in-app pointers to migration or external pricing
  • Email + owned channels reach the subscriber outside the app
  • Branded web checkout receives the subscription flow
  • Existing in-app subscription management continues to work; the framework doesn’t break links between the app and the user’s existing Google Play subscription

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What changes for Google Play subscribers

A migrated Google Play subscriber:
  • Subscribes on web at the new fee structure
  • Cancels their Google Play subscription (the framework’s outreach gives clear instructions)
  • Continues using the app exactly as before — the entitlement check confirms the active web subscription instead of the active Play subscription
For Google Play subscribers who don’t migrate, nothing changes. They continue on Google Play, Play continues collecting its fee, and they’re a candidate for a future wave or never-migrate.

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App release cadence

Like Apple: no SDK, no binary changes, no Play submission required. The migration runs alongside the existing Google Play app.

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A note on policy drift

Google Play’s policies have shifted multiple times since 2022 — the 15% subscription rate replaced the 30% standard, the EU User Choice Billing program rolled out, the US antitrust litigation produced injunctive relief. The framework’s job includes absorbing that drift. If Google’s policy changes mid-engagement, the migration cohort spec adjusts before the next wave.
The most recent Google Play policy reading is the one the framework uses operationally. Customers don’t need to track policy on their own — that’s part of what’s covered in the engagement.
EU Digital Markets Act →