Google has announced an expansion of the Play Store User Choice billing pilot to additional countries, and is seeking additional feedback about the program from developers. Spotify was the initial partner for the program when it was announced in March.
Google Android Developer Support (via 9to5Google):
This pilot is designed to test offering an alternative billing option next to Google Play’s billing system and to help us explore offering this choice to users. We are looking to gain feedback in different
countries and ensure we can maintain a positive user experience.
Pilot eligibility
In order to be eligible for this pilot:– Your app must be a non-gaming mobile or tablet app
– Developer must be a registered business
Developers can apply for the program now, with expanded country support including the European Economic Area (EEA) countries and a variety of Asia-Pacific countries including Australia, India, Indonesia and Japan.
Google is offering developers a 4% discount on regular Play Store payment fees, and still expects partners to “pay the applicable service fees”. There will also be “additional user experience” guidelines published in the coming weeks that those added to the pilot program will need to conform to.