Create promo codes for your apps and in-app products in the Google Play Developer Console

Posted by Yoshi Tamura, Product Manager, Google Play

Over the past six months, a number of new tools in the Google Play Developer Console have been added to help you grow your app or game business on Google Play. Our improved beta testing features help you gather more feedback and fix issues. Store Listing Experiments let you run A/B tests on your app’s Play Store listing. Universal App Campaigns and the User Acquisition performance report help you grow your audience and better understand your marketing.
Starting today, you can now generate and distribute promo codes to current and new users on Google Play to drive engagement. Under the Promotions tab in the Developer Console, you can set up promo codes for your apps, games, and in-app products to distribute in your own marketing campaigns (up to 500 codes per app, per quarter). Consider using promo codes to reward loyal users and attract new customers.

How to use promo codes

1. Choose your app in the Developer Console.
2. Under the Promotions tab choose Add new promotion.
   
3. Review and accept the additional terms of service if you haven’t run a promotion before.
4. Choose from the options available, then generate and download your promo codes.
5. Distribute your promo codes via your marketing channels such as social networks, in email, on the web, to your app’s beta testers, or in your app or game itself.
6. Users can redeem your promo codes in a number of ways, including:

1. From Google Play, using the Redeem menu option.
2. From your app. They’ll be directed to the Play checkout flow before being redirected back to your app.
3. By following a link that embeds the promo code (see tips below).

For more details about running a promotion for your app or game, read this article on the Google Play Developer Help Center.

Tips for making the most of promo codes

Some things to keep in mind when running a successful promotion:

• There’s a limit of 500 promo codes per app every quarter.
• You can embed your code in a URL so that users don’t have to enter it themselves (for example, if you’re sending your codes in an email). You can use the URL: https://play.google.com/redeem?code={CODE} (where {CODE} is a generated promo code).
• To use promo codes for in-app products, you should implement In-app Promotions in your app. Note that promo codes can’t be used for subscriptions.
• Review and adhere to the Promotional Code Terms Of Service.

We hope you find interesting ways to use promo codes to find new users and engage existing fans. To learn more about the many tools and best practices you can use to grow your business on Google Play, download our new developer playbook, “The Secrets to App Success on Google Play”.