US Play Store-only External Link purchasing for Android
Written by Harry Phillips
Updated at December 5th, 2025
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We have made changes to Bolt in light of the October 2025 changes Google has made to Play Store rules in the United States. These updates, prompted by a major court ruling, impact how in-app purchases (IAP) and external payment links can be used in Android apps. Here’s what you need to know about our approach, what’s changing, and what it means for you as our customer.
What’s Changed with Google's Play Store Rules?
The latest U.S. court decision requires Google to let apps direct users in the US to their own websites for purchases, such as subscriptions and digital goods. This means apps can now include clear buttons or links that take users outside the app to complete purchases, bypassing Google Play's payment system and commission.
Google are also prohibited from displaying “scare screens” or warning messages that discourage users from leaving the Play Store to make a purchase.
What We Know and Expect
Many U.S. customers are expected to explore or adopt the use of external links for purchases in order to avoid Google's in-app fees.
For developers with global audiences, this means they may want to offer external links for U.S. users while maintaining traditional in-app purchasing flows elsewhere, as regional rules still vary and the new U.S. policy does not apply internationally. It's important to note that there is still no clear like-for-like replacement of iOS's External Link Entitlement feature.
The regulatory landscape remains in flux; for example, it is not yet fully clear whether all apps may or even must continue to offer Google's in-app purchase (IAP) option alongside external links. As the app ecosystem adapts to these significant changes, further clarification on what is permitted and required is expected in the coming months.
Our Plan for Supporting You
We’ve made some new options available to you, as of Bolt Android 4.13, enabling you to take advantage of the changed landscape, should you think it's the right thing for you and your business.
Storefront Awareness: We’ve implemented a system that allows our app to detect which country’s Play Store a user is in. This helps us show the right purchasing options to the right users.
Configurable Paywall Buttons: Depending on the user’s location, we can display one of the following different purchasing buttons, or combinations thereof, on the paywall:
- Play Store IAP
- External Link (EL) - US Only.
What You Need to Know as Our Customer
No action is required: Your current implementation remains legal and fully supported. You don’t need to make changes unless you want to utilise these new purchasing options.
A fluid situation: The regulatory environment is still shifting. New approaches carry risk of Play Store rejection, but we’ll monitor developments closely and keep you informed.
More control and information: You’ll be able to include query strings or access tokens in external purchase links, giving you more control over the resulting user experience
Seamless entitlement: We recommend linking back to the app after completing any purchase. This can be done seamlessly in different ways depending on whether the user is already signed in or not at the point at which they follow the external purchase link. If they are already logged in, access token query parameter injection can be configured (see above) such that the external purchase system can immediately associate the entitlement with the existing account and immediate grant access access to paywalled content when they return to the app.
If the user is not already signed in, we recommend that the purchase flow sets a cookie on your auth origin and redirects, or provides the user with a button to redirect them, into the app, and automatically log them in. This works by deeplinking to the app with https://your.domain/c/signin thereby triggering the OAuth flow, which must be set up to use the aforementioned cookie to immediately complete code grant and subsequent access.
Our Commitment
We’re dedicated to helping you navigate these changes smoothly and maximize your revenue opportunities. As the situation evolves, we’ll continue to adapt and keep you updated with clear guidance and technical support.
If you have questions or want to discuss your options, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or support@pugpig.com.