In this article we'll go over how to set up a subscription (reoccurring) in-app purchase for the Android version of your app

What are Subscription In-App Purchases?

Subscription based In-App Purchases are described as: “A product that allows users to purchase dynamic content for a set period. This type of subscription renews automatically unless cancelled by the user.” This means that there is a recurring charge that will allow the user to access that specific in-app section, though only while they continue to pay to keep their subscription active.

How do I create a Subscription In-App Purchase for my Android app?

IMPORTANT: Before you can create your In-App Purchases, you are required to: (1) activate a Merchant account in your Google Developer account, (2) upload your License/Billing Key to your app’s control panel, and (3) have a version of your app uploaded that includes your License/Billing Key. If you have not done this yet, view our help article here for the required steps. 

Step 1: Log into your Google Developer account here:

https://play.google.com/apps/publish/

Step 2: Click on your app’s listing.

Step 3: Click on In-App Products tab from the menu on the left.

Note: If your app was already live on the Play Store and you are just now including In-App Purchases, the In-App Products section is found under the Store Presence tab of your app’s listing.  

Step 4: Make sure you have Subscriptions selected, then click Create Subscription.

Step 5: Input your Product ID.

IMPORTANT: It’s a good idea to enter a Product ID that clearly tells you what in-app section this specific purchase will unlock, because you will need to enter the Product ID on your app’s control panel. Also, the Product ID must be composed of lower-case letters ( a-z ), numbers ( 0-9 ), underlines ( _ ), or dots ( . ) without any spaces, and it should start with lower-case letters or numbers.

Step 6: Input your Title and Description, then change the status to Active. 

Step 7: Set a Price and Billing Period, then click Save at the bottom of the page.

Note: If you want to offer a Free Trial period or Grace Period this can also be done in this section.

Now that you have your In-App Purchase created, you need to add the Product ID to your app’s control panel. Before you do so, you’ll need to make sure that your License/Billing Key has been uploaded to the Commerce section of your app’s control panel. If you haven’t already done so, you can view our help article here for the required steps.  

Here’s how to add the Product ID in the Commerce section of the app control panel:

Step 1: In your app’s control panel, step into the Commerce section from the menu on the left.

Step 2: Copy and paste the Product ID from your Google Developer account (created in Step 5) into the Google Play Product ID field.

IMPORTANT: If you already have the Product ID for the iOS In-App Purchase, make sure to add them at the same time. If you still need to create this for your iOS app, view our help article here.

Step 3: Once you have entered your Product IDs, click the Add button to save.

IMPORTANT: Now that you have an In-App Purchase added to your app's control panel, you’ll need to assign it to a feature. To find out how this is done, check out our article here.