Few more questions reg. selling through play store. - If a user buys the app on one device, it sounds like it can be used on other devices without any purchase. - If I sell my 'license' as a managed in-app item, the same applies. The user can use it on any other device.
Looks like the managed purchase is per user account and not per device. Since I may need to pay licensing fees to others on per-device basis, selling paid version app and selling the license as managed item are not options for me. So, the only option seems to be - to sell the license as in-app unmanaged item. Which means, if the user uninstalls/clears app data, user must purchase it again. Google play servers won't store this info. If I have to allow user to use it on the device even after reinstall, I have to implement my own server to track the purchase! Looks like my own server is a must :-( On Friday, January 24, 2014 2:03:46 PM UTC-8, pskr wrote: > > I know this topic has been discussed many times in many forms, but, I > still would like to get the latest opinion. > > I have an App and I would like to sell it. But, many people may not buy it > without trying it. So, I want users to experience it for some time (trial > period) before purchasing it. Free features and unlocking reset of the > features by purchase is too complicated for my case (but the problem is > same) and "ads" are not relevant for me. > > From my research, there is no direct support from Google Play Store for > this - An app to be free for "trial period" and must be purchased to > continue using it. And, prevent users from being in trial period > perpetually by 'clear data' or 'uninstall/reinstall' or other tricks. > > There are multiple workarounds. > 1. Free app with in app-purchase of license. App will stop functioning > after "trial period" > 2. Two versions of app (one free-trial and other paid-licensed) > 3. Free app with license app (free app will stop functioning after trial > period if license app is not present) > > For me, option 1 sounds the simplest and clean. I would record the > installation time and prompt user after trial period to purchase the > license. > > Only problem is how to prevent some 'clever' users to be in trial period > for ever (by clear data/uninstall, reinstall). Only solution seems to be to > have my own server, which makes me nervous, since I am not very comfortable > with server set up. > > App on start-up will verify the license (in-app purchase). If not present, > check with my server to query the 'trial period' left for this > user/device/app combination. Server will check its DB and return the trial > period left. If no entry found in DB, it will record the user (google ID) > and device ID (IMEI) and current time as the start of the trial and return > the full trial period. The Application will set an alarm to trigger after > the trial period if any left. After trial period, it will prompt user to > purchase the license and will not function unless license is purchased. > > Is all this (server) worth (few?) rogue users? Note that the same problem > exists for other options. > > - Wonder why "free-trial" is supported for subscriptions and not for > purchasing the app. > - Why not allow apps/developers to specify the 'refund' period? (with a > max limit, say, 2 weeks) > - I am not certain, but I think in-app purchased license will survive > 'clear data'/uninstall/reinstall, etc. Will a user who purchased the > license will be able to use the app even after 'clear data/factory > reset/uninstall/reinstall' - but only on this device? > - I am thinking of using "App Engine" for my server. > > Any thoughts or suggestions? > > Thank you. > > Following are the search terms I used/found while researching (may be > useful to some): > > Android implement free trial with an option to purchase > Unlocking trial application by in-app billing > Trial/Free & Full Version VS. Free App + In-app billing? > Android how to publish an app with limited trial period > Creating an Android trial application that expires after a fixed time > period > How to make an Android application work only for some trial period > Creating A time Bound Trial Version Of an Android App > http://stackoverflow.com/tags/trialware/hot > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
