Google has rolled out new prepaid app subscription features and other updates for Android app developers in emerging markets, including India, aimed at boosting revenue generation.
Prepaid Subscription Capabilities
The technology giant announced that developers can now offer users the option to subscribe via prepaid plans, granting access to an app and its services for a predetermined duration.
Google stated, “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.”
Additionally, this serves as an alternative for users hesitant to commit to an auto-renewing subscription, as highlighted during Google’s annual Google I/O developer conference.
Expanded Pricing Options
Google also unveiled expanded pricing options, introducing “ultra-low” price points to cater to 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,” explained Google.
While the base plan sets the price available to all users, offers present alternate pricing to eligible users.
Streamlined Subscription Sales
The company aims to simplify subscription sales on Google Play by enabling 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,” Google emphasized.
Flexible Pricing
Developers have the flexibility to lower prices to as low as 5 US cents, facilitating local sales, promotions, and in-app tipping support.
Previous Pricing Adjustments
Last year, the tech giant lowered the minimum price limit for products in over 20 markets across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, signaling its commitment to making digital products more accessible and affordable globally.
