Google Allows Users To Pay For Apps With Cash

Although there are more apps downloaded for the Android platform that for iOS, Apple’s App Store still outrun any other virtual store when it comes to earning, as Google determines to change that disparity, it decides to offer users another way to purchase apps: with cash. It calls the new feature “pending transactions,” which does not require a credit card or any other requirement of online shopping to finalize the purchase.

One of the reasons why freemium and ad-included are so hot with users is the lack of means to pay online. So instead of opting for a paid option with more appealing features, people may pick a lower but free version to spare them the nuisance of transferring money online.

With that in mind, Google has come up with a wide range of alternatives in the last few years, including allowing UPI and eWallets in India. In just a year, it has collaborated with an addition of 20 carrier billing organizations, amounting to over 170 carriers all over the world. In terms of the number of users, this paying method has brought more than one billion back to Google.

Carrier billing does yield decent results but it is not the best solution to solve the problem of people not having access to credit card for online purchases. There are a large number of users who use mainly cash for transactions and they do not even have credit card to start with, but they make up a sizable market to which Google wants to tap. That is why it comes up with another paying option that allows cash.

This method allows users to pay for in-app purchases or apps by cash. Instead of entering your credit card information like before and every time you buy something, the system will deduct the fee on the card, users can choose the pay with cash option and receive a code. They bring it to a nearby store. All they have to do next is to present the cashiers with the code and pay the money.

About ten minutes after the transaction is completed, users will get their apps or in-app purchases as well as an email confirming the purchase.

This is a favorable paying method for Android users who usually use cash or do not have access to a credit card but there is a drawback to this method. If they have paid by cash and want a refund, they will not get the money back but Play Store credit instead.

The Pending Transactions is just one of several new updates in the Google Play Billing Library this year. However, since it is the most noticeable and has the potential to grow the user base for Google, it gets quite a lot of attention.

Another update that can cut the time users have to spend on apps short is the “Subscribe & Install”, which let you get free trial of an app as you install it, by clicking a button once.

The function is in Early Access and according to Google, on average, partners who have used the method usually see a growth rate of about 34% in paid user base.

So now, we have the Google Play Billing Library 2.0 as a way to combine Google Play Billing with apps. It is in Java now and Kotlin and C++ will follow suit soon.