I would like to implement a license system in my Android application, have you any idea about this system?
I think a file crypted contains informations about licence?
Thank you.
I think, you should have a look at the Google Play Billing feature, which can give you the possibility to charge user for one time purchase, monthly subscription or yearly subscription. You can see exemplary usages in the official Google/Android repository here: https://github.com/android/play-billing-samples. As far as I know, this is the most common practice to unlock app features or charge users for the "full version" of your app and it's integrated with the Android OS.
I don't want use GooglePlay services, i share the apk by my personnal link.
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Please clear up something for me. For my own interest I want to write an Android app to use on my phone, by me alone. Maybe written in Mono, or perhaps something else.
It has been suggested to me that I will need to pay a license fee for this. The Android licensing documentation hasn't cleared this up in my mind.
Do I need to implement any form of licensing or pay any license for this? I stress, the app will be for use by me alone (and maybe my wife), on my phone alone (or hers). It won't go near Google Play Store or anything like that.
Just install it on the phone.
Unless you're using a dev tool/SDK/library that requires a license even for non-commercial use, you don't need to do anything.
As long as you don't submit the app to Google Play store, you don't need the licence. You can use the app or even give it to your family and friends. However, you cannot submit to the app store.
So develop it with Android SDK, it's easier and free. And distribute yourself the installer (The Android apk).
My application will have a low cost for a basic version.
If the user need more features, heneed to buy plug-in.
Question is:
What is the best solution for this approach?
Better the use of in-app billing or publish packet that contain the plug-in as normal apps with a price ?
Thank you
In-app billing is the recommended means for providing extra features. There's very little to worry about with it, as it's all taken care of through google play functionality. Otherwise you're requiring your users to download a whole new apk file as a paid for thing.
This page on the Android Developer site gives a good set of instructions on how to achieve this.
My app is basically supposed to sell ebooks and need to distribute via Android Market. For payment options, I would like to use PayPal. So, straight to the point, am I allowed to use paypal as payment option for digital goods(in my case Ebooks)? I had googled for it a while. But nothing worth referencing came up to me.
I also read through Android Market terms and didn't quite get it whether they allow such option for in-app billing. All I see from their docs is referring to Google Checkout. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Well, just for information, I refer to http://www.google.com/mobile/android/market-tos.html .
Just to keep up, http://www.android.com/us/developer-content-policy.html#showlanguages this link may well more specific to my situation.
In general, you need to be careful - the TOS of the Android Market generally require you to use Google's payment processing options to charge users (see "Paid and Free Applications").
That said, they name two exceptions, one of which seems to apply in your case - "Where payment is for digital content or goods that may be consumed outside of the application itself (e.g. buying songs that can be played on other music players)". If your app sells ebooks in the form of standard files (like epub or pdf), you should be in the clear.
I believe you can sell digital content using paypal via your app - however I don't think you can use Google's In-App Purchasing system - that has to go through the Market Place, and is linked to a Google Checkout account.
So you'd need a separate delivery and authentication system.
I am currently developing an application where I want to be able to have an option to allow the user to donate money for the app. Is there a particular way about doing this for android. I have tried looking at google but it mainly shows about paypal donation buttons for websites
I think it should be possible.
There's a similar discussion on Google Groups which basically says that donations are allowed as long as you don't offer additional functionality for that money.
Meaning no functionality is enabled after the donation is made.
Like #alocaly said, you're unable to recieve donations through a system different from android market payment or ads inside the application.
However, it is still possible to have your application on the Internet by free and with a donation button. The difference is that you cannot post it on the Android Market, so you'll have to do some extra work:
Upload to a webserver, so it can be downloaded to your phone.
Create a website (or post your application to another "illegal" market), so people can find your application.
Use some sort of advertising to let people know your application (Twitter retweets, community ads, GoogleAds, SEO, whatever)
Manage some kind of update system. Since you don't rely anymore on the Android Market, you don't have an automatic updating method (Android Market updates applications when you post a new version of it), so you should have a small class that checks a website looking for a new version (it's not that hard) and downloads a new version when there's one available.
Make work the Paypal button like #Tim said
However, you are able to do something that I've see out there: create a free version of your application and post it on the Android Market, and post another version of the same application called "Same program name (Donation)", costing some money. When someone wants to donate you, they'll only have to buy this version.
I hope it helps
I don't know what importance it has, but I think that the chart / terms of services we sign as android developers don't allow the usage of this kind of monetization.
As this is a subject that is changing a lot in Android world, with the soon to come API to pay in apps, I'm not sure it still has any importance, but you should still be aware of that.
Maybe you should take a look at this post, which explains how to integrate Paypal payments into an Android App witout leaving the App itself: How to integrate paypal donate in android app?
Edit: Android now supports in-app billing!
Original question:
It looks like Android won't natively support in-app purchases for a while, and when it does there might be a huge user base with devices that don't support them.
What's the best way to implement iPhone-like (additional content or services) in-app purchases in Android using the Android Market if possible?
The solution should consider in particular:
For all kinds of in-app purchases: Android Market's 24-hour cancellation policy
For consumables/non-consumables: storage of additional content (ie: use precious application memory to avoid piracy, or use SD card to avoid bloating application memory)
Thanks!
This has changed as of today! There is now an example on the Android Developer site here: https://developer.android.com/google/play/billing/billing_overview
You can create a premium key application, that will have a key. How you expose that it's your deal ( or you can just check if PremiumKey activity exist ). From the main app you just check for your key and if it's exist enable premium option )
If you're talking about buying OTHER apps from yours - build your list with market url pointed to the other apps ( market:// )
It is against the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement to take in-app payment:
3.3 ... All fees received by Developers for Products distributed via the Market must be processed by the Market’s Payment Processor.
Looks like Paypal has launched a library for accepting in-app payments. See here. Not sure if this system violates the T&C though.
You say that Android Market doesn't support in-app purchases, and then ask how you can implement in-app purchases using Android Market?(!)
Anyway, if and when they do support it, I imagine it could be distributed as an update to the Android Market application itself, so most users would be able to use the functionality. I believe the Market app updates itself automatically.
Possibly the Market would accept an Intent to trigger a payment via the usual on-device mechanism and return your app (or more likely your server) a callback.
There is also another in-app payment platform for Android applications called MoVend (www.movend.com). I have checked it out and there are several benefits using it compared to the other 2 mentioned earlier:
Many payment channels : Operator Billing for more than 38 countries, PayPal and virtual credits.
Many distribution channels: They work with developers to distribute their applications through the various distribution channels like Operator AppStores , OEMs and Android applications website. Marketing is something we all need. They are also invested by Singapore Telecommunications who has a strong presence in South East Asia.
They provide a sales analytics for you to track, trace and monitor the performance of your apps. Since they are available worldwide, you can always tailor your applications to the different geography area.
I am trying to build Android applications and monetizing is important.
Reply this thread so we can discuss how we can monetize our Android applications.
Here's another free licensing and payments system. The nice thing about this one is that it allows you to offer your app in any app store.
You can find more details # http://www.cloud4apps.com/
Check out http://mobpaynet.com, they are doing something like this. Not sure if it violates terms or not, but I will probably check it out.
For implementing in-app purchases in Air applications you may use third-party libs (Adobe AIR does not support In App Purchases for any platforms out of the box). For example, developed by Milkman Games (unfortunately, they are not free)