Docs
News
Platform
Android Studio
Google Play
Android Jetpack
Docs
News
Platform
Android Studio
Google Play
Android Jetpack
Docs
News
More
Android Developers Blog
The latest Android and Google Play news for app and game developers.
In-app Subscriptions in Google Play
24 May 2012
[This post is by Ibrahim Elbouchikhi, Product Manager on the Google Play team. —Dirk Dougherty]
We launched In-app Billing on Google Play a year ago to give developers more ways to sell and engage users over the lifetime of their apps. Since the launch, In-app Billing has been extremely successful in helping developers monetize their apps through try-and-buy, virtual goods, upgrades, and other popular business models. Today, 23 of the 24 top-grossing apps in Google Play use In-app Billing, and the total revenue generated from in-app purchases exceeds revenue from traditional app purchases.
We’re now taking In-app Billing further by adding another important business model — subscriptions.
Starting today, developers can use In-app Billing to sell monthly or annual subscriptions from inside of their apps. All subscriptions are auto-renewing, for every app and game and every type of subscription product.
Developers just set the price and billing interval and Google Play manages the purchase transactions for them, just as it does for other in-app products and app purchases.
For users, Google Play provides a familiar and convenient purchase experience, highlighting subscription details such as price and billing interval before continuing with purchases. After the transaction, Google Play manages recurring billing and keeps users informed of new charges, sending them an email with each renewal. At any time, users can visit My Apps in the Play Store app to view their subscriptions and cancel any subscription as needed.
While making it easy for developers to offer a great purchasing experience, our subscriptions are also designed for flexibility. Developers can use them to monetize premium dynamic content such as journals and magazines, but they can also use them to sell access to bundled products, game levels, music and video content, value-added services, or any other digital content.
Building on Google Play’s strength as a truly cloud-connected experience, developers can offer users the ability to carry their subscriptions across multiple properties, services, or campaigns. To make this easier, we’re introducing an HTTP-based publisher API through which enterprise-scale backend servers can validate or cancel subscriptions. Using this API, for example, developers can extend access from their Android apps to their web properties, based on subscriptions that are purchased on Google Play.
In the coming days, several developers will be launching apps with Google Play subscriptions and we expect many more to follow. Glu Mobile is launching updated versions of its top Android titles, including
Frontline Commando
, offering subscriptions through custom VIP currency packages. "We're using Google Play subscriptions to offer consumers a compelling value and a single currency which they can use across Glu’s most popular titles” says Niccolo de Masi, CEO of Glu. “We're excited to bring these capabilities to our Android users and we believe that Google Play subscriptions will fuel further growth in our business."
If you’re a developer, you can get started with subscriptions right away by reading the
In-app Billing documentation
and downloading the
updated sample app
. If you are already using in-app billing, you’ll find that adding support for subscriptions is straightforward and involves only minor changes to your code.
You can publish your updated apps and subscription products as soon as you are ready. We’ve already rolled out client support to most Android devices worldwide, so any user with Google Play 3.5 or higher installed can buy subscriptions starting today.
We’re looking forward to seeing how you use subscriptions in your apps!
Join the discussion on
+Android Developers
Labels
Android O
Android Studio
Design
Develop
Google Play
Archive
September 2019
(3)
August 2019
(9)
July 2019
(8)
June 2019
(6)
May 2019
(15)
April 2019
(10)
March 2019
(11)
February 2019
(5)
January 2019
(6)
December 2018
(11)
November 2018
(9)
October 2018
(13)
September 2018
(5)
August 2018
(13)
July 2018
(9)
June 2018
(16)
May 2018
(16)
April 2018
(8)
March 2018
(8)
February 2018
(7)
January 2018
(9)
December 2017
(9)
November 2017
(13)
October 2017
(14)
September 2017
(12)
August 2017
(19)
July 2017
(11)
June 2017
(13)
May 2017
(21)
April 2017
(12)
March 2017
(14)
February 2017
(11)
January 2017
(12)
December 2016
(17)
November 2016
(16)
October 2016
(9)
September 2016
(6)
August 2016
(7)
July 2016
(12)
June 2016
(14)
May 2016
(16)
April 2016
(14)
March 2016
(8)
February 2016
(8)
January 2016
(9)
December 2015
(9)
November 2015
(13)
October 2015
(20)
September 2015
(15)
August 2015
(13)
July 2015
(9)
June 2015
(8)
May 2015
(10)
April 2015
(10)
March 2015
(12)
February 2015
(8)
January 2015
(3)
December 2014
(9)
November 2014
(13)
October 2014
(11)
September 2014
(6)
August 2014
(2)
July 2014
(9)
June 2014
(10)
May 2014
(4)
March 2014
(4)
February 2014
(3)
January 2014
(2)
December 2013
(3)
November 2013
(2)
October 2013
(7)
September 2013
(2)
August 2013
(5)
July 2013
(5)
June 2013
(4)
May 2013
(9)
April 2013
(3)
March 2013
(2)
February 2013
(3)
January 2013
(3)
December 2012
(5)
November 2012
(3)
October 2012
(3)
September 2012
(1)
August 2012
(1)
July 2012
(2)
June 2012
(5)
May 2012
(1)
April 2012
(5)
March 2012
(5)
February 2012
(5)
January 2012
(5)
December 2011
(7)
November 2011
(7)
October 2011
(5)
September 2011
(5)
August 2011
(3)
July 2011
(7)
June 2011
(2)
May 2011
(5)
April 2011
(6)
March 2011
(8)
February 2011
(8)
January 2011
(4)
December 2010
(8)
November 2010
(3)
October 2010
(4)
September 2010
(7)
August 2010
(6)
July 2010
(10)
June 2010
(11)
May 2010
(11)
April 2010
(2)
March 2010
(3)
February 2010
(2)
January 2010
(5)
December 2009
(7)
November 2009
(5)
October 2009
(5)
September 2009
(8)
August 2009
(2)
July 2009
(1)
June 2009
(2)
May 2009
(5)
April 2009
(12)
March 2009
(5)
February 2009
(8)
January 2009
(3)
December 2008
(3)
November 2008
(1)
October 2008
(4)
September 2008
(6)
August 2008
(4)
June 2008
(1)
May 2008
(5)
April 2008
(4)
March 2008
(5)
February 2008
(2)
January 2008
(5)
December 2007
(3)
November 2007
(5)
Feed
Newsletter
Android Developers
Google Play
Platform
Android Studio
Google Play
Android Jetpack
Docs
News
