The company announced on Tuesday (20.08.25) that developers will now be able to direct users outside the Play Store to complete app purchases, a move regulators have long demanded.

The policy will cover 30 European countries and introduces a new tiered fee system.

Google confirmed that “initial acquisition fees” for developers will be reduced from 10 per cent to three per cent.

However, the company warned the change comes with risks.

Clare Kelly, senior competition counsel at Google, told Bloomberg: “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 discussions with the European Commission.

The DMA, which came into force earlier this year, is designed to curb the dominance of major tech firms and force them to open up their platforms.

The act allows regulators to issue fines of up to 10 per cent of a company’s global annual revenue for violations.

Apple has already been fined €500 million ($583 million) under the new regime, while Meta received a €200 million penalty.

Google has previously been hit with more than €8 billion in fines under the EU’s traditional antitrust rules, including cases over Android licensing and search advertising.

The latest changes mark its biggest attempt yet to head off DMA enforcement.

Google stressed that while the updated policy gives developers more flexibility, leading users outside the Play Store’s secure environment could “create serious security threats”.