At its Playtime event for Android developers today, Google announced that apps on the Play Store will soon gain a new option that could have huge implications for subscriptions: temporary promotional pricing. “Coming soon, you’ll be able to create an introductory price for new subscribers for a set period of time,” Google’s Larissa Fontaine wrote in a blog post. “For example, you can offer a subscription for $1 per month for the first three months before the normal subscription price kicks in.”

There are many app categories where this could make a big difference. Music and video are certainly on that list; maybe cheaper introductory pricing could boost Google’s own struggling YouTube Red service, or help Spotify maintain its lead over…

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