Changes to Google Play's service fee in 2021

Because the 15% service fee tier is applied per developer, not per account, we need to understand which accounts are associated with you so we can apply the service fee properly. 

For developers with only one account, you will create an Account Group in Play Console with the single account you own. For developers with multiple accounts, we’ll ask that you create an Account Group that lists all your Associated Developer Accounts (ADAs). These include any accounts that you own, as well as accounts owned by your subsidiary that publish apps or games that use your brand features. The 15% service fee tier will apply to your total earnings across all of your ADAs. 

Brand features are defined in the Developer Distribution Agreement (DDA). Some examples include intellectual property users might identify and attribute to a single developer, app/game or series, such as: 

• Developer name
• App or game name
• Character likenesses, character names, realm names, and plot settings
• Unique/recognized item likenesses and names
• Unique and distinguishable logos, fonts, and phrases

If you control other companies that publish apps and games to Google Play using your brand features you will need to add them to your Account Group. Google Play’s goal is to ensure we apply the 15% service fee tier to each developer appropriately. We consider brand features a clear indication of which accounts belong to a developer because these brand features meaningfully connect a developer's portfolio of apps and games for users and contribute to why they install and pay for those apps on Google Play.

The Primary Developer Account of the group will apply on behalf of all Developer Accounts in the group with a single enrollment. The service fee will be applied to the aggregate earnings of all accounts in the group. As long as the aggregate earnings are under $1M (USD), all accounts in the group will receive the 15% service fee. When the aggregate earnings exceed $1M (USD), the service fee will change to 30% for all accounts in the group for the rest of the year.

Currently, Account Groups are only available to Developer Accounts that have a payments profile in Play Console. If you own accounts that don’t have a payments profile, you don’t need to list them as Associated Developer Accounts at this time. We will offer Account Groups for such accounts in Play Console later.

Yes. Note that when an app is transferred between developer accounts in separate Account Groups, that all of the app’s earnings will be included in each Account Groups’ totals for that calendar year.

For example, if a developer account in Account Group A has an app that has earned $100,000 (USD) in earnings this year that is then transferred to another developer account in Account Group B, the $100,000 (USD) earnings will be included on both Account Group A and Account Group B’s total earnings for purposes of calculating the 15% service fee tier for this year.

Yes. You can add or remove Developer Accounts to your group to reflect changes in account ownership. 

Note that when a Developer Account is transferred between separate Account Groups, that account’s earnings will be included in both Account Groups’ totals for that calendar year.

Earnings will be calculated on a calendar year basis (January 1–December 31). Because the program starts halfway through the year (July 1, 2021), the limit for the second half of 2021 will be prorated to $500,000 (USD).

Note: The 15% service fee tier will go into effect on July 1, 2021 for all developers who have completed enrollment before this date. If a developer completes enrollment after July 1st, the 15% will be applied starting the date when enrollment is completed.

The $1M of developer earnings is defined in USD. Transactions in other currencies will be converted using the appropriate foreign exchange rates which are updated throughout the day.

The 15% service fee tier will be applied shortly after the developer completes the required enrollment steps in Play Console and will be reflected in the next monthly payment cycle.

Because you own both developer accounts, you should create a single Account Group. Account Groups should contain every developer account that you own, as well as any other developer accounts owned by subsidiaries or affiliates that use your brand features.

No, as long as you do not share brand features with your parent company or publish their apps or games. To enroll, create an Account Group that is separate from your parent company’s Account Group. Remember to include any other developer accounts you own, as well as any subsidiaries or affiliate accounts that share your brand features.

• Example A: Your company has acquired a developer as a subsidiary, and that developer keeps their brand and app/game catalog separate from your company’s. In this case, the developer can create a separate Account Group.
• Example B: Your company has acquired a developer which changed their publisher name to refer to your company name, published some of your IP, or leveraged other brand features from your company or app/game catalog. In this case the developer should share an Account Group with your company.

If your subsidiaries do not publish apps or games that share brand features, they can enroll in this program separately and create their own Account Groups. However, any subsidiaries that do share brand features should be in one Account Group. Please note that if you have subsidiaries that publish localized or rebranded versions of your apps or games in specific regions, these apps will be considered your apps, and the developer accounts that publish them will be considered your associated developer accounts and need to be part of your group.

Example: Your company owns a subsidiary that publishes your apps or games in specific regions, or shares other brand features with you. Your subsidiary localizes some of these apps or games. In this case, you should share an Account Group with your subsidiary.

As long as there is no ownership relationship or controlling interests between the two companies, each company can create their own Account Group. These Account Groups must include the developer accounts each company owns, as well as the subsidiaries and affiliates with which they share brand features.