docs/html/google/play/billing/billing_promotions.jd

page.title=In-app Promotions
parent.title=In-app Billing
parent.link=index.html
page.metaDescription=Support promo codes in your app, which let you give content or features away to a limited number of users free of charge.
page.image=/images/play_dev.jpg
page.tags="promotions, billing, promo codes"
meta.tags="monetization, inappbilling, promotions"
@jd:body

<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">
  <h2>Quickview</h2>
  <h2>In this document</h2>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="#workflow">Creating and Redeeming Promo Codes</a></li>
    <li><a href="#supporting">Supporting Promo Codes In Your App</a></li>
    <li><a href="#testing">Testing In-app Promotions</a></li>
  </ol>
  <h2>See also</h2>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_integrate.html">Implementing
    In-app Billing</a></li>
    <!-- TODO: link to blog post when available -->
  </ol>
</div>
</div>

<p>
  Promo codes let you give content or features away to a limited number of
  users free of charge. Once you create a promo code, you can distribute it
  subject to the
  <!--TODO: Link to TOS when/if they're available as a web page --> terms of
  service. The user enters the promo code in your app or in the Play Store app,
  and gets the item at no cost. You can use promo codes in many ways to
  creatively engage with users. For example:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>A game could have a special item, such as a character or decoration,
  that's only available to players who attend an event. The developer could
  distribute cards with promo codes at the event, and users would enter their
  promo code to unlock the item.
  </li>

  <li>An app developer might distribute promo codes at local businesses, to
  encourage potential users to try the app.
  </li>

  <li>An app developer might give out "friends and family" codes to its employees to
  share with their friends.
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  Every promo code is associated with a particular <em>product ID</em> (also
  known as a <em>SKU</em>). You can create promo codes for your existing in-app
  products. You can also keep a SKU off the Play Store, so the only way to get
  that item is by entering that SKU's promo code. When a user enters the promo
  code in the Play Store or in their app, the user gets the item, just as if
  they paid full price for it. If your app already uses <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/api.html">In-app Billing version 3</a> to
  support in-app purchases, it's easy to add support for promo codes.
</p>

<h2 id="workflow">Creating and Redeeming Promo Codes</h2>

<p>
  You create promo codes through the <a href=
  "https://play.google.com/apps/publish/" class="external-link">Google Play
  Developer Console</a>. Each promo code is associated with a single product item
  registered in the developer console.
</p>

<p>
  When a user gets a promo code, they redeem it in one of two ways:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>The user can enter the promo code as part of the app's ordinary purchase flow, as
  described in <a href="{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_integrate.html">
  Implementing In-app Billing</a>. As far as the app is concerned, this is
  just like an ordinary purchase, except that the user makes payment with a
  promo code instead of with money.
  </li>

  <li>The user can redeem the code in the Google Play Store app. Once the user
  enters the code, the Play Store prompts the user to open the app (if they have
  the latest version installed) or to download or update it. (We do not
  currently support redeeming promo codes from the Google Play web store.)
  </li>
</ul>

<p>
  If the promo code is for a <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/api.html#consumetypes">consumable product</a>,
  the user can apply an additional code for the same product <em>after</em> the first
  product is consumed. For example, a game might offer promo codes for a bundle
  of extra lives. Betty has two different promo codes for that bundle. She
  redeems a single promo code, then launches the game. When the game launches,
  the her character receives the lives, consuming the item. She can now redeem
  the second promo code for another bundle of lives. (She cannot redeem the
  second promo code until after she consumes the item she purchased with the
  first promo code.)
</p>

<h2 id="supporting">Supporting Promo Codes In Your App</h2>

<p>
  To support promotion codes, your app should call the <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  method whenever the app starts or resumes. This method returns a bundle of all
  current, unconsumed purchases, including purchases the user made by redeeming
  a promo code. This simplest approach is to call <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  in your activity's {@link android.app.Activity#onResume onResume()} method,
  since that callback fires when the activity is created, as well as when the
  activity is unpaused. Calling <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  on startup and resume guarantees that your app will find out about all
  purchases and redemptions the user may have made while the app wasn't
  running. Furthermore, if a user makes a purchase while the app is running and
  your app misses it for any reason, your app will still find out about the
  purchase the next time the activity resumes and calls <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>.
</p>

<p>
  In addition, your app should allow users to redeem promo codes inside the app
  itself. If your app supports the in-app purchase workflow (described in
  <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_integrate.html#billing-requests">Making
  In-app Billing Requests</a>), your app automatically supports in-app
  redemption of promo codes. When you launch the in-app purchase UI,
  the user has the option to pay for the purchase with
  a promo code. Your activity's {@link android.app.Activity#onActivityResult
  onActivityResult()} method receives a response intent telling the app whether the
  purchase was completed. However, your app should still call <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  on startup and resume, just in case the purchase and consumption workflow
  didn't complete. For example, if the user successfully redeems a promo code,
  and then your app crashes before the item is consumed, your app still gets
  information about the purchase when the app calls <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a> on its next startup.
</p>

<p>
  Your app should also support the scenario where a user redeems a promo code
  in the Play Store app while the app is running. Your app can find out right
  away when the user redeems a code by registering a listener for the
  <code>PURCHASES_UPDATED</code> intent. The Play Store fires this intent
  whenever a user redeems a promo code.
</p>

<p>
  To listen for the <code>PURCHASES_UPDATED</code> intent, dynamically create a
  {@link android.content.BroadcastReceiver} object and register it to listen
  for <code>"com.android.vending.billing.PURCHASES_UPDATED"</code>. Register
  the receiver by putting code like this in your activity's {@link
  android.app.Activity#onResume onResume()} method:
</p>

<pre>IntentFilter promoFilter =
    new IntentFilter("com.android.vending.billing.PURCHASES_UPDATED");
registerReceiver(myPromoReceiver, promoFilter);</pre>

<p>
  When the user makes a purchase, the system invokes your broadcast receiver's
  {@link android.content.BroadcastReceiver#onReceive onReceive()} method. That
  method should call <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  to see what purchases the user has made.
</p>

<p>
  Your activity's {@link android.app.Activity#onPause onPause()} method should
  unregister the broadcast receiver, to reduce system overhead when your app
  isn't running:
</p>

<pre>unRegisterReceiver(myPromoReceiver);</pre>

<p class="note">
  <strong>Note:</strong> You should not register this broadcast receiver in the
  app manifest. Declaring the receiver in the manifest can cause the system to
  launch the app to handle the intent if the user makes a purchase while the app
  isn't running. This behavior is not necessary, and may be annoying to the
  user. Instead, your app should call <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  when the user launches it, to find out about any purchases the user made
  while the app wasn't running.
</p>

<h2 id="testing">Testing In-app Promotions</h2>

<p>
  If your app supports in-app promotions, you should test the following use
  cases.
</p>

<h3 id="test-inapp">User redeems promo code in the app</h3>

<p>
  If the user redeems a promo code within the app's purchase flow, as described
  in <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_integrate.html#billing-requests">Making
  In-app Billing Requests</a>, the system invokes your activity's {@link
  android.app.Activity#onActivityResult onActivityResult()} method to handle
  the purchase. Verify that {@link android.app.Activity#onActivityResult
  onActivityResult()} handles the purchase properly, whether the user uses cash
  or a promo code.
</p>

<h3 id="test-playstore">User redeems promo code in the Play Store</h3>

<p>
  If the user redeems a promo code in the Play Store, there are several
  possible workflows. You should verify each one of these.
</p>

<h4 id="test-app-uninstalled">App is not installed</h4>

<p>
  If the user redeems a promo code for an app that is not installed on the
  device, the Play Store prompts the user to install the app. (If the app is
  installed but not up-to-date, the Play Store prompts the user to update the
  app.) You should test the following sequence on a device that does not
  have your app installed.
</p>

<ol>
  <li>User redeems a promo code for the app in the Play Store. The Play Store
  prompts the user to install your app.
  </li>

  <li>User installs and launches your app. Verify that on startup, the app
  calls <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  and correctly detects the purchase the user made with the promo code.
  </li>
</ol>

<h4 id="test-app-not-running">App is installed, but not running</h4>

<p>
  If the user redeems a promo code for an app that is installed on the device,
  the Play Store prompts the user to switch to the app.  You should test the
  following sequence on a device that has your app installed but not running:
</p>

<ol>
  <li>User redeems a promo code for the app in the Play Store. The Play Store
  prompts the user to switch to your app.
  </li>

  <li>User launches your app. Verify that on startup, the app calls <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>
  and correctly detects the purchase the user made with the promo code.
  </li>
</ol>

<h4 id="test-app-running">App is installed and running
</h4>

<p>
  If the user redeems a promo code for an app that is currently running on the
  device, the Play Store notifies the app via a <code>PURCHASES_UPDATED</code>
  intent. You should test the following sequence:
</p>

<ol>
  <li>User launches the app. Verify that the app has properly registered itself to
  receive the <code>PURCHASES_UPDATED</code> intent.
  </li>

  <li>User launches the Play Store app and redeems a promo code for the app. The Play
  Store fires a <code>PURCHASES_UPDATED</code> intent. Verify that your app's
  {@link android.content.BroadcastReceiver#onReceive
  BroadcastReceiver.onReceive()} callback fires to handle the intent.
  </li>

  <li>Your {@link android.content.BroadcastReceiver#onReceive onReceive()}
  method should respond to the intent by calling <a href=
  "{@docRoot}google/play/billing/billing_reference.html#getPurchases"
  ><code>getPurchases()</code></a>. Verify that it calls this method, and that
  it correctly detects the purchase the user made with the promo code.
  </li>

  <li>User switches back to your app. Verify that the user has the purchased
  item.
  </li>
</ol>