Android Developers And Users Can Now Tap Into In-App Subscriptions

It's been a long time coming, but at least, in-app subscriptions have arrived on the Google side of things. Apple's own iOS App Store has supported in-app subscriptions for quite some time, and starting this week, Google Play users can say "yep, same here!" If you aren't familiar with in-app subscriptions, it allows devs to offer apps for free, and then once you're in, they can charge for upgrades and other things, but on a recurring basis. It's a unique business model, and we're sure that Android developers will be thrilled to hear the news. In-app billing has been on Google Play for over a year, with 23 of the 24 top-grossing apps in Google Play using it. 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.


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. In the coming days, several developers will be launching apps with Google Play subscriptions, and Google promises that more are on tap. If you're an Android dev, now would be a great time to look into this if you're interested.