Google has expanded its protections against regional pricing abuse on the Play Store. Previously, users could easily change their location to regions where app subscriptions were cheaper using a VPN. Now, that loophole has been closed.
Developers can offer localized prices on Google Play to promote their apps. However, some users have taken advantage of regional pricing differences to get the lowest price—for example, using a VPN to subscribe to services like Spotify in countries with lower prices, such as India or China. Google has now addressed these tactics and is actively cracking down on such practices.
As part of the Google I/O session focused on maximizing ROI on Google Play, the company announced that it had extended its protections against price arbitrage to more countries. Google now automatically detects and blocks abusive purchases that exploit regional pricing differences. We’ll keep you updated as more integrations become available.
More Control and Protection for Developers
These updates help developers confidently offer localized prices and promotions without compromising their revenue. App developers now benefit from more robust systems that support regional pricing while protecting against fraud.
Google Play has also added finer control options through the Play Console. For developers offering content with limited regional availability, payment location restrictions provide a new layer of security. Additionally, Google has introduced better protections around free trial pricing, further closing loopholes that have been misused over time, notes NIXSolutions.
What’s Next for Users?
With these changes, users can still subscribe to apps and services at their region’s standard price, but they can no longer use simple tricks to gain access to lower prices in other countries. Whether users will cancel subscriptions, pay more, or seek even more complex methods to continue their habits remains to be seen.
This latest move reflects Google’s ongoing effort to support developers and maintain a fair marketplace. These updates are part of a broader trend toward increased regulation of pricing practices and app store integrity. Yet we’ll keep you updated as more changes roll out.