Last week, Google announced Play Billing Library version 3 with new features to make payments more accessible, make redeeming promo codes easier and keep better track of who purchased what item. Besides the implications this might have for non-Play Store apps, the new improvements aim to improve and streamline the experience of payments through Google Play. As part of the new Play Billing Library, Google is making changes to its subscription policy and adding new features to help developers gain and retain users by making a bunch of improvements to subscriptions and promotion codes.
Starting November 1, 2020, Google will make account holds and restore mandatory and make account pauses and resubscriptions (new) enabled by default for all apps that use subscriptions. An account hold temporarily blocks access to content if a user's payment method fails while a restore lets them get right back in when they enter a valid payment method before the subscription lapses. A pause allows users to pause a subscription for up to 3 months. Resubscriptions are a new feature that lets users resubscribe to a subscription that expired within the last 12 months by going to the subscription center in the Google Play Store.
Google has also added a "frictionless" redemption flow to make it easier for users to take advantage of one-time promotional codes for subscriptions. This lets users redeem the code, purchase the subscription, and install the app from the Play Store in a few steps. This feature requires developers to use Play Billing Library v2.0 or higher.
Among other things Google is adding, When a user is attempting to cancel a subscription, developers can now show a list of up to 4 subscriber benefits telling them what they'll lose by canceling.
Developers will now be able to post custom codes (called vanity codes) that multiple users can redeem. Users can redeem a custom code by entering it in their payment methods when buying a subscription. And last but not least, users will no longer have to opt-in to keep their subscriptions if the developer chooses to lower the price of the subscription. Instead, users will be simply notified of an upcoming price decrease of the subscription and can see the change in the subscription center of the Google Play Store.
These changes should significantly improve the way subscriptions and redemption of promo codes work throughout the Google Play Store. How do you like these changes?
Source: Android Developers