Monetizing Android apps on the Play Store

Talk given at DroidCon NYC 2015 and AnDevCon Boston 2015 about integrating in-app billing in Android apps

Transcript

1. Monetizing Android apps
   on the Play Store
   Yash Prabhu
   @yashvprabhu | @dramafever
   Slides https://goo.gl/1p9k1r
   Image credit: Stock Android lollipop wallpaper
   

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2. Why are we here?
   Image credit
   

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3. 7 Things we will learn
   today
   

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4. Security
   Google Play
   Developer API
   Revenue Models
   Product Types
   Purchase
   Workflow
   In-app Billing v3 API
   Testing
   Image credit: Material icons
   

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5. Revenue Models
   One
   

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6. Digital & Physical Goods
   ● Freemium - 30%
   ○ In-app products
   ○ Subscription
   ● Paid
   ● AdMob
   ● Android Pay
   Digital Goods Physical Goods
   

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7. Product Types
   Two
   

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8. Non-Consumable
   ● Can be purchased only
   once
   ● Permanent benefit
   Managed: For One time purchases
   Consumable
   ● Can be purchased
   multiple times
   ● Temporary benefit
   Image credit: Material icons
   

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9. Subscriptions - For automated, recurring billing
   ● Weekly, monthly, annual, seasonal
   ● Free trials - 7 to 30 days
   ● Manual renewal
   ● Upgrade/downgrade
   ● Deferred Billing
   

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11. Purchase Workflow
    Three
    

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12. Purchase
    response
    Response
    data
    GOOGLE PLAY
    DEVELOPER API
    YOUR SERVER
    Purchase
    request
    Purchase
    response
    GOOGLE
    PLAY APP
    ANDROID CLIENT APP
    Purchase
    response
    GOOGLE
    PLAY SERVER
    

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13. In-app Billing v3 API
    Client side workflow
    Four
    

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14. Image credit
    

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15. In-app billing setup
    1. Set up Merchant account
    2. Integrate in-app billing v3 API
    3. Define in-app products
    4. Provision premium content
    5. Profit!
    

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16. Set up Merchant Account
    1. Go to
    https://play.google.com/apps/publish/
    2. Open Financial reports on the side bar
    3. Click Setup a Merchant Account now
    Step 1
    

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17. Set up In-app billing v3
    ● Go to sdk/extras/google/play_billing
    ● Copy into your project
    ○ IInAppBillingService.aidl
    ○ All Java files in trivialdrivesample/util
    ● Add billing permission into your manifest
    android:name= "com.android.vending.BILLING" />
    1Step 2
    

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18. Copy your license key into IabHelper.java
    Iab => In-app billing
    

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19. Upload alpha apk. Hit Publish!
    

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20. Set up a new product on
    Developer Console
    1Step 3
    

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21. Your in-
    app
    billing
    app
    Google
    Play
    App
    isBillingSupported()
    Supported/Not Supported
    getPurchases()
    Bundle(purchase info ....)
    getSkuDetails()
    Bundle(response code, sku info)
    getBuyIntent()
    Bundle(response code, buy intent)
    startIntentSenderForResult()
    Bundle(response code, purchase
    data, signature)
    

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22. Is billing supported?
    public void onServiceConnected(ComponentName name, IBinder service) {
    mService = IInAppBillingService.Stub.asInterface(service);
    int response = mService.isBillingSupported(3, packageName, itemType);
    if (response == BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
    // billing is supported
    } else {
    // billing is not supported
    }
    }
    

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23. Query user’s owned products
    Bundle ownedItems =
    mService.getPurchases(3, packageName, itemType, continueToken);
    itemType => “inapp” || “subs”
    continueToken => retrieve next set of owned purchases
    

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24. Query in-app product details
    Bundle skuDetails =
    mService.getSkuDetails(3, packageName, itemType, querySkus);
    itemType => “inapp” || “subs”
    querySkus => Bundle of all owned skus
    

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25. When user wants to purchase
    public void launchPurchaseFlow(Activity act, String sku,
    String itemType, int requestCode,
    OnIabPurchaseFinishedListener listener, String extraData) {
    ....
    Bundle buyIntentBundle =
    mService.getBuyIntent(3, packageName, sku, itemType, extraData);
    ....
    }
    

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26. App launches the pending intent
    PendingIntent pendingIntent =
    buyIntentBundle.getParcelable(RESPONSE_BUY_INTENT);
    activity.startIntentSenderForResult(
    pendingIntent.getIntentSender(), requestCode,
    new Intent(), flagsMask, flagsValues, extraFlags);
    

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27. Get purchase information
    public boolean handleActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent
    data) {
    int responseCode = getResponseCodeFromIntent(data);
    String purchaseData =
    data.getStringExtra(RESPONSE_INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA);
    String dataSignature =
    data.getStringExtra(RESPONSE_INAPP_SIGNATURE);
    return true;
    }
    

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28. Google
    Play
    App
    Your in-
    app
    billing
    app
    getPurchases()
    Bundle(purchase info ....)
    consumePurchase()
    Success/Failure
    

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29. Consume a purchase
    void consume(Purchase itemInfo) throws IabException {
    String token = itemInfo.getToken();
    String sku = itemInfo.getSku();
    int response = mService.consumePurchase(3, packageName, token);
    if (response == BILLING_RESPONSE_RESULT_OK) {
    // sku consumed successfully
    }
    }
    

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30. Quick Recap
    ● isBillingSupported?
    ● getPurchases()
    ● getSkuDetails()
    ● getBuyIntent()
    ● handleActivityResult()
    ● if consumable
    purchase is successful,
    consume()
    On startup
    On purchase
    After purchase
    

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31. Purchase data
    { "orderId": "1299911111111111.145333335334137..0",
    "packageName": "com.sample.app",
    "productId": "test_inapp_upgrade",
    "purchaseTime": 1384834368656,
    "purchaseState": 0,
    "developerPayload": "abcdef",
    "purchaseToken": "fdgdghdjdp86dg",
    "autoRenewing":true }
    

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32. Signature & Response code
    Signature: jHCzy6MGITNtOuF0nfYyiEyGw==
    Response codes
    0 - Purchased
    1 - Canceled
    2 - Refunded
    

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33. Testing
    Client side workflow
    Five
    

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34. Testing
    ● Add licensed test users
    to Google Play
    developer console
    ● Reserved product ids
    ● No charges
    ●
    ● Regular users who can
    download your app
    from the Play Store
    ● Real product ids
    ● Actual charges
    Similar: Publish on Alpha, Beta or Production channels
    Test Purchases Regular Purchases
    

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36. Reserved product IDs
    ● android.test.purchased
    ● android.test.canceled
    ● android.test.refunded
    ● android.test.item_unavailable
    

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37. Testing with reserved product IDs
    ● Install signed apk on a test device. No emulators!
    ● Sign into device with your developer account
    ● Google Play version 2.3.4+ or MyApps app 5.0.12+
    ● Android 2.2+
    ● Run your app and purchase reserved product ID
    

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39. Testing with actual product IDs
    ● No draft apks: Upload signed apk to alpha/beta
    channel
    ● Add a real managed product to Developer Console
    ● Install signed apk on a test device. No emulators!
    ● Google Play version 2.3.4+ or MyApps app 5.0.12+
    ● Android 2.2+
    ● Purchase the real product with a real credit card
    ● Factory reset device for same product purchase!
    

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40. Testing subscriptions before Feb 2015
    ● There was no sandbox!
    ● Create a test $0.99 monthly subscription product
    ● Purchase product with real credit card
    ● Refund & cancel order on the Google Wallet console
    ● Wait till end of subscription period to retest or factory
    reset device!
    https://www.emojibase.com/emoji/1f622/cryingface
    

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41. Testing subscriptions after Feb 2015
    ● Use android.test.purchased reserved
    product
    ● Buy the product
    ● Wait for 1 day to retest subscription
    Image credit
    

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42. Valid subscription product purchase!
    

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43. Common errors
    

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45. Security
    Client side workflow
    Six
    

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46. Security
    ● Obfuscate code using Proguard
    -keep class com.android.vending.billing.**
    ● Protect unlocked/premium content
    ● Protect your Google Play Public Key
    ● Modify sample application code
    ● Use developer payload to uniquely identify user
    ● Signature verification on your client and server
    

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47. Decode base64 Public Key & verify signature
    public static boolean verifyPurchase(String base64PublicKey,
    String purchaseData, String signature) {
    boolean verified = false;
    if (!TextUtils.isEmpty(signature)) {
    PublicKey key = Security.generatePublicKey(base64PublicKey);
    verified = Security.verify(key, purchaseData, signature);
    }
    return true;
    }
    

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48. Google Play Developer API
    Server side workflow
    Seven
    

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49. Purchase
    response
    Response
    data
    GOOGLE PLAY
    DEVELOPER API
    YOUR SERVER
    Purchase
    request
    Purchase
    response
    GOOGLE
    PLAY APP
    ANDROID CLIENT APP
    Purchase
    response
    GOOGLE
    PLAY SERVER
    

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50. Why use Google Play Developer API?
    ● 200,000 queries per day for free!
    ● Publishing API
    ● Subscriptions & In-app purchases API
    

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51. Setting up Google Play Developer API
    1. Set up an APIs Console Project
    https://console.developers.google.com/
    2. Create an OAuth 2.0 Client ID
    3. Generate a refresh token & access tokens
    4. Access the API
    

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52. Purchases.products.get request
    Checks the purchase and consumption status of an
    inapp item.
    GET
    https://www.googleapis.com/androidpublisher/v2/app
    lications/packageName/purchases/products/productI
    d/tokens/token
    

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53. Purchases.products.get response
    {
    "kind": "androidpublisher#productPurchase",
    "purchaseTimeMillis": long,
    "purchaseState": integer,
    "consumptionState": integer,
    "developerPayload": string
    }
    

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54. Purchases.subscriptions.get request
    Checks validity & expiration of a user's subscription
    purchase
    GET
    https://www.googleapis.com/androidpublisher/v2/app
    lications/packageName/purchases/subscriptions/subs
    criptionId/tokens/token
    

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55. Purchases.subscriptions.get response
    {
    "kind": "androidpublisher#subscriptionPurchase",
    "startTimeMillis": long,
    "expiryTimeMillis": long,
    "autoRenewing": boolean
    }
    

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56. Google API Client libraries
    ● Easier to set up authentication and authorization
    ● Reduces OAuth 2.0 code
    ● Featured: Java, Python, .NET, PHP, Javascript
    ● Early-stage: Go, Dart, Ruby, Node-js, Objective-C
    ● https://developers.google.com/api-client-library/
    

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57. References
    ● Google Play In-app Billing
    ● Training: Using Google Play to Distribute and
    Monetize
    ● Video: In-app Billing Version 3 (Google I/O 2013)
    ● Using OAuth 2.0 to access Google Play APIs
    ● Google API client libraries
    

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58. Q&A
    Yash Prabhu
    @yashvprabhu
    Slides https://goo.gl/1p9k1r
    Work at DramaFever http://goo.gl/gWUM5U
    

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