Google follows Apple App Store's lead in reducing revenue take for subscriptions

Starting in January, Google will claim a smaller 15 percent cut so long as a customer has been subscribed for over a year. For most in-app purchases the company claims 30 percent.

The arrangement is essentially identical to one Apple implemented at the App Store in Sept. 2016. Up until that point, developers had complained about having to share so much ongoing revenue with Apple, especially since they were the ones providing content.

Indeed some companies, most infamously Spotify, charged more for in-app subscriptions to compensate for lost revenue. Ultimately the streaming service disabled in-app subscriptions altogether, asking customers to upgrade to Premium elsewhere.

Google's strategy is presumably meant to keep developers from preferring or defecting to the App Store, which is typically believed to be more profitable, despite Android devices having a greater worldwide marketshare.