The Google Play Store is the home of Android apps, so pretty much every Android user is familiar with it. One thing you likely know is that you can pay for apps with payment cards, PayPal, Google Play credit, and a few other options.
However, there'll now be a new payment option added to the mix, which we can simply call “someone else”. Yep, the Google Play Store allows you to get someone to pay for an app or in-app purchases for you, though at the moment, it's only available in one region.
If You're In India, You Can Now Send Links To Get People To Pay For Apps For You
This is me wishing strength upon older adults who have at least one mobile-savvy child around them. A recent update to the Google Play Store now adds a pretty interesting option when attempting to pay for apps or purchases within apps. It's called “Ask someone else to pay” and it does exactly what it says it will, which is to let other people conveniently pay for something on your Play Store account.
When you choose this option, you will be given the option to send a payment link to a person, but before that, you'll be made aware that the person you're asking to make the payment will be able to see what you're asking them to buy on Google Play and they'll also have the power to request a refund (not you, which makes sense). On top of that, they need to know your full email address to be able to complete the payment.
At that point, if you can accept these conditions, you can send the link to someone through any app that supports sending messages. The person will have 24 hours to make a payment through that link before it expires.
At the moment, this feature is only available to people in India and there's nothing official about whether it'll eventually find its way to other markets, though I assume that it almost certainly will.
Developers Simply Need To Be On A Newer Version Of The Play Billing Library To Enable This
Compatibility with this feature is bound to be wide, as any app using version six or newer of the Play Billing Library will instantly have this option appear when trying to make a payment. That's a good thing for the most part, as long as this new feature isn't abused to be a pain in the neck for some people.
In Case You Missed It, The Price Limit On Play Store App Prices Is Now $1,000
Speaking of the Google Play Store, you might have recently heard that the tech giant has pushed up how much a dev can choose to ask for an app. It used to be $400, set back in 2015, but now, it's a whopping $1,000. That doesn't only apply to how much apps can cost, but also how much in-app purchases can cost as well.
Personally, I don't see what mobile application calls for you to pay that much, but I guess there was some reason why Google sought to make this change.
