Android Play Billing Library
Easily force subscriptions free-trial eligibility on Android even after benefiting from it
Easily test your customized Android paywall for a free trial ON and OFF with Play Billing Lab app
As an Android developer, my product manager asked me for years if there is an easy way, for testing purposes, to manage the free trial eligiblity status of a user in order to check the different states of a paywall screen with a dynamic UI according to this eligiblity status.
Until now, there was no good answer:
- Provide a modified version of the app: the product manager can’t do the test by himself and it takes time for the developer to build a specific version.
- Having 2 Google accounts: one that has already benefited from the free trial and one that is still eligible. It takes time to switch your Google account to test both scenario. It’s easier if you have 2 devices but it costs more. Moreover, this solution is error-prone. You must not make any mistake and subscribe with the account that should have access to the free trial period.
Easily switch between eligible or not to the free trial period
Google just released an app, Play Billing Lab, that allows you to configure how the Play Billing library will work in your app.
- Download the app Play Billing Lab
- Connect with a licensed testing account for the Google Developer account which owns the app you want to test.
- On the app home screen, click the
Addbutton in theConfiguration settingsblock. - Enable
Test free trial or introductory offer - Click on
Apply
⚠️ Keep in mind that a configuration will expire after 2 hours, so you will have to reactivate it to continue your test after that.
And that’s all! The next time, you will buy a subscription with a free-trial period you already consumed, it will still propose the free-trial period
You can finally give a positive answer to your product manager and allow him to easily test your paywalls!
