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I am conducting a beta test and trying to get a much wider audience to participate testing a new subscription service I have added to my Google Play app. I am having trouble getting volunteers outside my inner circle because subscriptions require a payment option setup on Google Play.

I don't blame folks for not wanting to do this. I can say that the charge will be zero, which is how it actually works, but there are obvious trust issues with strangers/volunteers.

I need to create a subscription that won't cost anyone anything but Google Play won't let me create a product for zero money.

I thought a promotion code would be awesome until I find out that there are no promotion codes for subscriptions.

How do I set up my subscription so that folks aren't asked to use their credit cards, is it possible?

Technical Requirement. We authenticate the subscription id on our back end, so we need a legit subscription ID to unlock the service.

pjc
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I found no other way than to require my beta testers have a legitimate means of payment in addition to requiring their email to be on my white list. There are no promotion codes for subscriptions. This is the only way to do it.

Tomerikoo
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pjc
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  • It should be noted that you can give promo codes for in-app purchases, so you can technically associate that with however your subscription is represented on your own server. But that obviously is a bit different, specifically if your whole goal is to test the Google Play Subscription. – TahoeWolverine May 16 '18 at 18:57
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In May 2019 Google has introduced promotions for subscriptions - More Info: https://developer.android.com/google/play/billing/billing_subscriptions#promo

Promotions, or promo codes, let you give away one-time products or trials to subscriptions free-of-charge to a limited number of users. To implement promo codes for subscription trials, see Implement a promotion.

osedok
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