Google Play introduces prepaid app subscriptions for Indian developers

New Delhi: Google has introduced new pre-paid app subscription capabilities and other changes for Android app developers in emerging markets, including India, to help them generate more revenue. The tech giant said that it will allow developers to offer users the ability to subscribe via prepaid plans that provide access to an app and its […]

New Delhi: Google has introduced new pre-paid app subscription capabilities and other changes for Android app developers in emerging markets, including India, to help them generate more revenue.

The tech giant said that it will allow developers to offer users the ability to subscribe via prepaid plans that provide access to an app and its services for a fixed duration.

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“Users can extend this access by purchasing top-ups in your app, or in the Play Store. Prepaid plans allow you to reach users in regions where pay-as-you-go is standard, including India and Southeast Asia,” Google said in a statement on Wednesday.

They can also provide an alternative for users not ready to purchase an auto-renewing subscription, the company said during its annual Google I/O developer conference.

Google also announced expanded pricing options with the launch of “ultra-low” price points to reach users in emerging markets.

“Each base plan in a subscription defines a different billing period and renewal type. For example, you can create a subscription with a monthly auto-renewing plan, an annual auto-renewing plan, and a 1-month prepaid plan,” informed Google.

While the base plan contains the price available to all users, offers provide alternate pricing to eligible users.

The company said it’s making it easier to sell subscriptions on Google Play by allowing developers to configure multiple base plans and special offers.

“For each subscription, you can now configure multiple base plans and offers. This allows you to sell your subscription in multiple ways, reducing operational costs by removing the need to create and manage an ever-increasing number of SKUs,” said the company.

Developers can drop prices to as low as 5 US cents which would allow them to run local sales and promotions and support in-app tipping.

The tech giant last year reduced the minimum price limit for products in more than 20 markets across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.