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I want to use an alternative way for in-app purchases in my Android application such as Fortumo or PayPal libraries. Don't they violate Android Developers Terms of Services? Or will it cause the suspending of my developer account?

Can I also sell electronic currencies in my application using Android native In-App-Purchase?

brain56
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user1150958
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3 Answers3

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In-app purchases: Developers offering virtual goods or currencies within a game downloaded from Google Play must use Google Play's in-app billing service as the method of payment. Developers offering additional content, services or functionality within another category of app downloaded from Google Play must use Google Play's in-app billing service as the method of payment, except:

where payment is primarily for physical goods or services (e.g., buying movie tickets, or buying a publication where the price also includes a hard copy subscription);
or where payment is for digital content or goods that may be consumed outside of the app itself (e.g., buying songs that can be played on other music players).

Developers must not mislead users about the apps they are selling nor about any in-app services, goods, content or functionality they are selling. If your product description on Google Play refers to in-app features to which a specific or additional charge applies, your description must clearly notify users that payment is required to access those features.

Source: https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy.html

LordRaydenMK
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    To summarize a bit: if what you're selling is a change within the app, or access to an app, then you must use Google's payment service. If what you're selling can be made available outside the app -- a physical good, a music file, an epub file, etc. -- then you are allowed to use a different payment method to do this, assuming you don't violate any other terms. – Lorne Laliberte May 28 '14 at 22:08
  • @LorneLaliberte, If user is not purchasing from the app, but if they can purchase from website outside of application. Is this the violation of the terms? – Saurin Dashadia Feb 29 '16 at 15:30
  • @LorneLaliberte it depends on WHAT are they purchasing. If they are paying to remove ads (from a website) it's a violation. If they are paying for something accessible outside the app it's NOT a violation – LordRaydenMK Feb 29 '16 at 15:42
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Consult a lawyer, not SO. IANL, but the Market agreement states that

All fees received by Developers for Products distributed via the Market must be processed by the Market's Payment Processor.

AFAIK, the only authorized payment processor is Google Checkout/Wallet, so you decide whether using PayPal violates the agreement.

Nikolay Elenkov
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Direct in-app payment would violate Google's terms. However there are a large number of developers (e.g., KKBox) which do not want to pay Google 30% split. What they do is essential setting up a login page with passcode. On the other hand, they sell those passcode as pay-as-you-go or subscription. I believe this does not violate the terms of Google.

Andrew Chan
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  • This is not clear. KKBox is providing musics and as per the terms any digital content that can be used out-side of app is already out of the violation terms. – Saurin Dashadia Feb 29 '16 at 15:34
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    Actually real question is; is there any way to bypass google in-app purchase if I setup purchase functionality on my product webpage? Purchase there can be synced to my app without any issue. I believe that is not the violation if I am not purchasing from the app. – Saurin Dashadia Feb 29 '16 at 15:36