Google Play adds in-app subscription purchases
updated 04:40 pm EDT, Thu May 24, 2012
Options for monthly and annual subscriptions now within Android apps
Google has introduced in-app subscriptions to its Play store, according to the a post on the company's official Android developers blog. From today, App developers can use in-app billing to sell monthly or annual subscriptions from within the app itself. The addition brings Google's app portal in line with the Apple App Store in offering recurring billing to its customers and developers, with all subscriptions being auto-renewing by default.
Google Play product manager Ibrahim Elbouchikhi suggests that, like existing in-app purchasing, Google Play will manage the purchase transactions. Developers can still set the price and billing interval, with a 30-percent cut going to Google as a service charge. Google Play v3.5 or higher will be able to take advantage of in-app subscriptions.
The subscription system is not the same as Google One Pass, which is used for digital magazines and newspapers. Publishers using that system have a smaller service-charge cut of just 10 percent instead of 30 percent.
