Paying for an App which is Free - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi
If I wanted to release an app on the Play Store for free but wanted the option that anyone can pay if they wanted to, how would I go about doing it? I dont want to have two apps, just one paid and one free.
Is it possible to have something similar to in app purchase but thats a way of thanking the dev? And does Google take a percentage from it? Or maybe PayPal link in the app?
Or any other methods?

You can use in-app billing to do what you need.
Google take 30% of your sales and as far as I am aware you are not allowed to link to paypal.
You can find a tutorial for in- app billing here or you can look through the official documentation here.
Good luck.

Just Me said:
You can use in-app billing to do what you need.
Google take 30% of your sales and as far as I am aware you are not aloud to link to paypal.
You can find a tutorial for in- app billing here or you can look through the official documentation here.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Ive seen apps that link to PayPal

ermacwins said:
Hi
If I wanted to release an app on the Play Store for free but wanted the option that anyone can pay if they wanted to, how would I go about doing it? I dont want to have two apps, just one paid and one free.
Is it possible to have something similar to in app purchase but thats a way of thanking the dev? And does Google take a percentage from it? Or maybe PayPal link in the app?
Or any other methods?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. Why would anyone pay for something that is available for free? No matter how better the application is, if it is available for free than i am never going to pay for it no matter what. And when it comes to your question's answer no you can't do that, Google Play isn't offering any such option. Yes Google takes 30% of your sales and so does iTunes.

alextodd said:
Lol. Why would anyone pay for something that is available for free? No matter how better the application is, if it is available for free than i am never going to pay for it no matter what. And when it comes to your question's answer no you can't do that, Google Play isn't offering any such option. Yes Google takes 30% of your sales and so does iTunes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fact is, some people will pay for something that is free.
Most of the ROM's, apps etc on xda are free. They are done by devs that enjoy what they do and enjoy helping others. People donate to them as a way of saying thank you.
Also, in the past I've put apps on Google Play that are completely free, with a donate version that is exactly the same. People have used the free version, then bought the donate version because they liked it. It's all down to the individual.

Related

someone told me not to use something, looking for more info...

Any thoughts on an app called app planet? I've heard conflicting stories just trying to get some clarification. Thanks.
App planet is highly questionable on a moral level. It is just like the market app BUT only features hacked paid apps. If you are into "stolen" apps you will enjoy app planet but be wary as some apps may contain harmful code. What you see is not always what you get. Virus and data mining are always a risk.
I hope this answers your question. Proceed with caution!
bking_soda said:
Any thoughts on an app called app planet? I've heard conflicting stories just trying to get some clarification. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nevermind....
That is helpful... This is my first Android, just trying to learn as much as I can. And... Not destroying anything in the process.
My feelings... if someone can't support a developer and pay pocket change for their app that they are going to use, it's pathetic. If people feel $1-$5 is too much, maybe they shouldn't be spending money each month on a cell phone bill...
You're absolutely right... This was a conversation I had with someone last night who wanted to show off his rooted d2. I told him I was using a rooted TB and he tried to one up with this app. I felt it was a little odd to have all apps available for free and he doesn't read this site. Now I can relay the message.
The Amazon app store on the other hand offers a free app every day
i totally understand that stealing apps from applanet is wrong but i think there are still several good uses. i have used it a couple times to download apps that were no longer available in the market like rom gripper and also blocked apps like wireless tether. i also have used it to try out a paid app for more than 15 mins allowed by the official market. if i liked it, i went on the regular market and bought it! it DOESNT HAVE to be used for piracy only....
g00s3y said:
My feelings... if someone can't support a developer and pay pocket change for their app that they are going to use, it's pathetic. If people feel $1-$5 is too much, maybe they shouldn't be spending money each month on a cell phone bill...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you 100%, but anyway if the OP would have read the forum guidelines he would know this is not even allowed to be discussed here, so im sure this thread will be closed very soon!
ddarvish said:
i totally understand that stealing apps from applanet is wrong but i think there are still several good uses. i have used it a couple times to download apps that were no longer available in the market like rom gripper and also blocked apps like wireless tether. i also have used it to try out a paid app for more than 15 mins allowed by the official market. if i liked it, i went on the regular market and bought it! it DOESNT HAVE to be used for piracy only....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop trying to cover crap in gold... its illegal, end of story.
ddarvish said:
i also have used it to try out a paid app for more than 15 mins allowed by the official market.
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Click to collapse
When did it change from 24 hours to 15 minutes? I noticed this the other day and think its stupid, 15 minutes isn't long enough to test some apps.
eraursls1984 said:
When did it change from 24 hours to 15 minutes? I noticed this the other day and think its stupid, 15 minutes isn't long enough to test some apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was to help developers, I will agree, 15 minutes is a bit short. But it is needed because of the amount of people that would buy a paid app, use it for that day, then "return" it. That and i'm sure people were downloading the paid app, ripping the apk, then "returning" the app, but still having the full paid version.
g00s3y said:
This was to help developers, I will agree, 15 minutes is a bit short. But it is needed because of the amount of people that would buy a paid app, use it for that day, then "return" it. That and i'm sure people were downloading the paid app, ripping the apk, then "returning" the app, but still having the full paid version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The funny thing is that 15 minutes is enough time to rip the apk but not enough time to even check out an app to see if I like it or not. I support the devs but this is going to hurt devs I think. I no longer try any paid app without finding it on the web instead of the market.
No discussion of Warez.

Amazon Appstore Free Apps of the day

I may sound desperate, but I just wanted to suggest something:
Can someone who has access to the Amazon Appstore create a thread wherein he/she can upload and post the Free App of the Day .apk and update it everyday? Or at least post a link wherein we can download them apks, since they're free anyway?
It's just so sad for us located outside the US because we weren't blessed by such privilege. :'(
No offence intended, y'all, so please, no flaming. If you find my post offensive in any way, PM me and I'll remove it for you.
Thanks!
What you are proposing is against XDA forum rules, therefore it will never happen.
I don't believe it even works, does it? Isn't there some kind of DRM attached to the Amazon AppStore .apk files that makes sure it's attached to your Amazon account?
les02jen17 said:
I may sound desperate, but I just wanted to suggest something:
Can someone who has access to the Amazon Appstore create a thread wherein he/she can upload and post the Free App of the Day .apk and update it everyday? Or at least post a link wherein we can download them apks, since they're free anyway?
It's just so sad for us located outside the US because we weren't blessed by such privilege. :'(
No offence intended, y'all, so please, no flaming. If you find my post offensive in any way, PM me and I'll remove it for you.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think its morally right to do that. Why not just find out what the app is, than use blapkmarket or 4shared to download it?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App
les02jen17 said:
Or at least post a link wherein we can download them apks, since they're free anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point is... they are NOT FREE. They are paid apps that for a special deal, on that day only, is a free purchase via the Amazon Appstore (you can also access them from the Amazon website, but still need the Amazon appstore app to install them).
To link in any other method is to redistribute paid apps.
And it's already been posted that it's against XDA forum rules.
If the only thing stopping you from downloading what is most likely a $5 for free is a lack of Amazon account or not living in the United States, morally I see nothing wrong with that. But that's subjective, and if it's against the forum rules I suggest you just do as others said and find out what the app of the day is and go download the .apk online.
I suggest moving to the United States. It's not that bad here, promise.
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
SCrid2000 said:
I suggest moving to the United States. It's not that bad here, promise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So long as you don't lose your job and get sick, that is.
I much prefer the Leonard Cohen view of America ... "the cradle of the best and the worst".
For anyone who doesn't know how the "free app of the day" deal at amazon works from a developer standpoint:
Amazon will tabulate the sales and pay the developer 20% of the full list price of the app for each "free" transaction.
Essentially, Amazon buys each "free" app purchase from the developer at a reduced cost.
If you pirate the app or download it from anywhere besides Amazon, on the day it is offered, then you still burn the developer out of the money that rightfully belongs to them.
Amazon does this to drive traffic to their web site, and to score more money in advertising and hopefully repeat business. But this app is not free like other free apps - Amazon still pays the owner of that app for each person who downloads it.
Please do not do what you are suggesting. It doesn't seem like a big deal at first, but knowing this now you will see how wrong it is.
I don't find your post offensive, a lot of people probably do not know this.
Hopefully this can serve to make more people aware of how the process works with Amazon.
Blue6IX said:
For anyone who doesn't know how the "free app of the day" deal at amazon works from a developer standpoint:
Amazon will tabulate the sales and pay the developer 20% of the full list price of the app for each "free" transaction.
Essentially, Amazon buys each "free" app purchase from the developer at a reduced cost.
If you pirate the app or download it from anywhere besides Amazon, on the day it is offered, then you still burn the developer out of the money that rightfully belongs to them.
Amazon does this to drive traffic to their web site, and to score more money in advertising and hopefully repeat business. But this app is not free like other free apps - Amazon still pays the owner of that app for each person who downloads it.
Please do not do what you are suggesting. It doesn't seem like a big deal at first, but knowing this now you will see how wrong it is.
I don't find your post offensive, a lot of people probably do not know this.
Hopefully this can serve to make more people aware of how the process works with Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for that info. its most helpful.
The OP might want to look into proxy services that mask you IP address behind a US address. Its how people abroad order books from Amazon & BN and music from iTunes.
SCrid2000 said:
I suggest moving to the United States. It's not that bad here, promise.
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks worse and worse each day...
To the OP, can't you create an account in amazon even if you are from outside the US? Just seems kind of weird to me...but then again, I don't know.

[Q] Are there any ways of getting a free Android developers account?

Hi is there any way to get a free developer's account for the Android Market? Or will someone be willing to let me use theirs or buy one for me in exchange for a favour? I am only 16 and my family have no credit cards, and I haven't seen an option for bank accounts on our bank. I have also tried to contact Google but they completely ignored my emails.
PS I'm only going to host free apps.
Thank you and as for favours, if anyone needs any Android hacks or general help for Android, PSP or PC I'll help them.
Cheers
Hey, I understand your trouble, but you don't need an android dev account to use/ create apps, just to publish them in the market. You can just download and install them straight to your phone.
There is no way I know of to get a free account.
GladiatoRiley said:
Hey, I understand your trouble, but you don't need an android dev account to use/ create apps, just to publish them in the market. You can just download and install them straight to your phone.
There is no way I know of to get a free account, but If you have an android, you should be able to afford $25!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey mate I cannot pay them the $25 dollars because I do not have a credit card and they do not accept the bank that I use, if I could pay in cash or a gift card I would do that in an instant.
I also want to publish apps to the Android Market for the world to see my work.
How about using friends credit card and pay him by cash
Dave Clark said:
How about using friends credit card and pay him by cash
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I tried that and the bastard cancelled his credit card and kept the money... Some friend
wri0013 said:
Yeah I tried that and the bastard cancelled his credit card and kept the money... Some friend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe too obvious an answer but maybe open bank account with a different bank?
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk
Another option is to use alternative markets where you don't have to pay in order to have a developer account.
I don't know in which it's necessary to pay or not, but some of them are:
apktor, aptoide, getjar, handango, onlyAndroid, slideMe, appoke...
appzoon said:
Another option is to use alternative markets where you don't have to pay in order to have a developer account.
I don't know in which it's necessary to pay or not, but some of them are:
apktor, aptoide, getjar, handango, onlyAndroid, slideMe, appoke...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you could make a thread in themes and apps, and host the file there.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

No luck with Google, anyone tried Amazon?

Hello, I only published one app and was hoping it would at least get me my 25$ back.
I'm from Romania and I don't find 25$ to be a cheap price. The other problem with me being Romanian is that I can't open a merchant account, so I can only post free apps. My option was to use AdMob to get a little income. It wasn't much, having only gathered 4.40$ in 3 months. On top of that, my admob was suspended and I don't know why, I read the rules and as far as I know I didn't do anything wrong. I suspect someone purposely made fake clicks in my app just to mess with me.
I now decided to try Amazon App store, they let me publish paid apps even from my country. I know there were some people who asked for a paid version with no ads. I don't know how to deal with this situation now, I have the google play app which is free but it has a Donate popup. And then there's the same app (not yet approved) but without the donate links on the amazon app store.
Have you ever tried Amazon app store? Do people really buy apps there?
What do you suggest I do?
wststreet said:
Hello, I only published one app and was hoping it would at least get me my 25$ back.
I'm from Romania and I don't find 25$ to be a cheap price. The other problem with me being Romanian is that I can't open a merchant account, so I can only post free apps. My option was to use AdMob to get a little income. It wasn't much, having only gathered 4.40$ in 3 months. On top of that, my admob was suspended and I don't know why, I read the rules and as far as I know I didn't do anything wrong. I suspect someone purposely made fake clicks in my app just to mess with me.
I now decided to try Amazon App store, they let me publish paid apps even from my country. I know there were some people who asked for a paid version with no ads. I don't know how to deal with this situation now, I have the google play app which is free but it has a Donate popup. And then there's the same app (not yet approved) but without the donate links on the amazon app store.
Have you ever tried Amazon app store? Do people really buy apps there?
What do you suggest I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had bad experience with Amazon store, they take long time to approve apps.
Imo there is no good enough alternative for Google Play at the moment
Same here, rather bad luck with Amazon to date...
wststreet said:
Hello, I only published one app and was hoping it would at least get me my 25$ back.
I'm from Romania and I don't find 25$ to be a cheap price. The other problem with me being Romanian is that I can't open a merchant account, so I can only post free apps. My option was to use AdMob to get a little income. It wasn't much, having only gathered 4.40$ in 3 months. On top of that, my admob was suspended and I don't know why, I read the rules and as far as I know I didn't do anything wrong. I suspect someone purposely made fake clicks in my app just to mess with me.
I now decided to try Amazon App store, they let me publish paid apps even from my country. I know there were some people who asked for a paid version with no ads. I don't know how to deal with this situation now, I have the google play app which is free but it has a Donate popup. And then there's the same app (not yet approved) but without the donate links on the amazon app store.
Have you ever tried Amazon app store? Do people really buy apps there?
What do you suggest I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried amazon app store and publish it for free, i see your app is live wallpaper and as i know Kindle users do not like live wallpapers.
i suggest you try slideMe appstore.
Buddy... Wait till google add romania to the merchant list... ..
Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Both amazon and getjar weren't really useful for me. I did get more traffic from the Opera store. Since my game focuses on in app purchases to make $ it's hard to get traction on any other store since currently I use IAB.
What kind of app did you have? Games I think are most successful with ads, but in the end it depends from app to app, I guess.
You can try Samsung App here: http://seller.samsungapps.com/
I have bad experience with Amazon. Low downloads and last weeks Admob ecpm is extremely low (about 0.05). Has anybody tried to integrate Amazon's banner ads?
Amazon app store is an avenue that developers are still figuring out how to utilize optimally for their purpose.
I agree with most of what has been said here... I don't get even 1% of the amount of downloads from Amazon as I do from Play. In my opinion it is just not Amazon's focus as Play is "THE" store front for apps. I think like most business ventures, it has a lot to do with timing. What kind of niche are your getting into. If super saturated, you may need to create a category within a category in order to reach new users.
You can win Kindle Fire HD now for integrating their api.
https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/mobileads.html
Agreeing with previous posters that Google Play doesn't have a good enough alternative yet...
Have tried SlideMe and Amazon and neither have got close to the Play Store in my case.
dappwl said:
Agreeing with previous posters that Google Play doesn't have a good enough alternative yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but ARPU on Amazon is far better than on GPlay. Of course GPlay is x10 (at least) when it comes to its reach but if you have a good app, use Amazon's APIs (ads, inapps, etc.) and talk to them, you might get featured. My experience is they actually respond to emails
Amazon Appstore will not make you uber-rich but it's a valid option, much better than GetJar imho.

[APP]Tapatalk (Pro)

I figured I would come here for some sort of guidance about Tapatalk. I'm sure some of you remember way back when Tapatalk was a paid app. I bought it. And now there is a Pro version. Problem is, the app that I paid for is now free. I emailed customer support about it almost 2 weeks ago and still haven't received word back. Anybody else feel this pain or has anybody even been able to reach them about being compensated for it? Guess for now I have to resort to Aptoide to get what I want.
Sent from Marianas Trench.
Nobody yet?
Sent from Marianas Trench
I might be missing something, but I don't understand the issue.
The app was good enough for you to pay for it when you paid for it, and no features have been removed. The only thing you're upset about is that now other people can get it free? It doesn't sound like you lost anything here. Why would they refund you when you had the app and used it far longer than anyone who is just using the free version now?
The license is lifetime so he has a right to want any refund.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
palco2 said:
The license is lifetime so he has a right to want any refund.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand.
The license says you can get a refund for this app any time you want, even months after purchasing it?
orangekid said:
I don't understand.
The license says you can get a refund for this app any time you want, even months after purchasing it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think he's upset that it's free now and he paid for services that r now i guess:good:
The issue is that he paid for a fully working product, now that product has been removed from the play store and replaced by a gimped version of another product that he possibly paid for as well. I myself find this extremely wrong from the company to do this. Instead they should have left the two versions as they were and add a new free gimped one, but they wanted the good ratings from the paid one for the free one... Such bad practice
crnkoj said:
The issue is that he paid for a fully working product, now that product has been removed from the play store and replaced by a gimped version of another product that he possibly paid for as well. I myself find this extremely wrong from the company to do this. Instead they should have left the two versions as they were and add a new free gimped one, but they wanted the good ratings from the paid one for the free one... Such bad practice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They didn't remove anything.
They made the pro version free and the HD with tablet enhancements paid.
What features did they remove?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
Can I use it for accessing XDA Dev?
orangekid said:
They didn't remove anything.
They made the pro version free and the HD with tablet enhancements paid.
What features did they remove?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that shows you have no idea what you are talking about.
The original 2 version has been removed from the play store (can now only be accessed with some link from them) and replaced by a gimped version of the "tapatalk pro" application. I wont go into detail as to what is all gimped, as you can look t hat up yourself, but just so you wont post something like "whats removed again", for instance posting picturesin the "free" version goes only with watermark...
crnkoj said:
that shows you have no idea what you are talking about.
The original 2 version has been removed from the play store (can now only be accessed with some link from them) and replaced by a gimped version of the "tapatalk pro" application. I wont go into detail as to what is all gimped, as you can look t hat up yourself, but just so you wont post something like "whats removed again", for instance posting picturesin the "free" version goes only with watermark...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the version you paid for (that you installed initially) still posts pictures without a watermark, even though it is not in the Play Store anymore, no?
If not, then I see your point.
orangekid said:
But the version you paid for (that you installed initially) still posts pictures without a watermark, even though it is not in the Play Store anymore, no?
If not, then I see your point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just go to their forums and read all the threads about the mess they did themselves because they were greedy.
crnkoj said:
Just go to their forums and read all the threads about the mess they did themselves because they were greedy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like I'll have to do that to get the full story.
I'm a little miffed too because I paid for it, but now I have to use their free version with ads, and if I want the ad free version I have to pay again? Thats messed up to me. Make your paid version free and add back the ads, then make a "new" version that you now have to pay for? So basically I can stick with the old version (which I am), but now I don't get any updates or new features. Yes they are greedy, there have been 1 or 2 app devs that ive encountered that have made changes where previous buyers would "lose out" in some way, but they came up with some kind of way for previous buyers to redeem the new or corrected version. These guys did not....I mean didn't they already have a free version? I know they at least allowed individual forums to create their own version they could distribute freely.
+1 I've paid for 2 versions of the app already, they just taking advantage now. I won't be paying for anymore versions. Came here thinking many more would be as annoyed but not so. Tapatalks own forum has some interesting info but little care from the devs. Poor form.
dave- said:
+1 I've paid for 2 versions of the app already, they just taking advantage now. I won't be paying for anymore versions. Came here thinking many more would be as annoyed but not so. Tapatalks own forum has some interesting info but little care from the devs. Poor form.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, they even go so far as to locking every thread that touches this problem... Worst company ever.
crnkoj said:
Yep, they even go so far as to locking every thread that touches this problem... Worst company ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they won't even talk about it. Second time this year I've had a developer screw me over changes to a paid app. Then they complain about people not buying it.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using TapaTalk Pro
I don't mind buying better apps etc but all they ever do is rebrand the same app with a feature or 2 and then ask for more money. Almost like we're paying to beta test. The arguments about buying a new copy of windows are stupid. But if people must, XP -> Vista -> 7 were significant enough changes to warrant paying for a new product IMO.
I was fooled twice, my fault but won't happen a 3rd time. If they do happen to release something amazing, I'll obtain it from a 3rd party source unfortunately.
Well I don't think you will receive a refund. This isn't even logical enought to debate.
I remain of the view that the old version was much better with the themes, and everything else

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