Android™ How to Program, Second Edition

9.5. Monetizing Apps: Using In-App Billing to Sell Virtual Goods

Google Play’s in-app billing service (http://developer.android.com/google/play/billing/index.html) enables you to sell virtual goods (e.g., digital content) through apps on devices running Android 2.3 or higher (Fig. 9.9). According to Google, apps that use in-app billing earn profoundly more revenue than paid apps alone. Of the 24 top-grossing apps on Google Play, 23 use in-app billing.⁶ The in-app billing service is available only for apps purchased through Google Play; it may not be used in apps sold through third-party app stores. To use in-app billing, you’ll need a Google Play publisher account (see Section 9.6) and a Google Wallet merchant account (see Section 9.7). Google ...