Google Play Store Now Offers In-App Subscription Payments
Google is adding yet another way for developers to earn consistent cash flow by introducing new in-app subscription payments to the Google Play Store. Developers now have the option to bill users monthly or annually for access to their apps and content. Of course the first though that comes to mind are MMORPG’s, giving access to new areas and levels, but this could be applied to other types of apps — magazines or newspapers, for instance. Glu Mobile’s Frontline Commando is one of the first apps to take advantage of this new billing option and their CEO, Niccolo de Masi, had this to share:
“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. 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.”
What’s more, Google has also provided a web-based API for developers to verify a user’s subscription status in order to access web content. That means if you subscribe to an app through the Google Play Store, a developer could also grant access to their website (again, magazines come to mind). The subscriptions are all managed through the Google Play Store and are available right now for any device currently running Google Play Store versions 3.5 and above (and if you’re not, you can download it here). Android devs, get started via the link below.