Google Launches Subscription Center For Mobile Apps

Google has launched its subscription center that will centralize all Google Play subscriptions for both users and developers.

“While users derive a lot of value from their subscriptions, our research shows their fears of being ‘trapped’ in a subscription without the ability to cancel or worry they’ll lose track of how much they’re spending create a hindrance to users signing up for your subscription apps,” wrote Larry Yang and Angela Ying, Product Managers, Google Play.

The new subscriptions center will be a “one-stop shop” for users to manage their subscriptions on Google Play. Users will be able to view all of their subscriptions to see details and status; manage and update payment methods, including setting up a backup payment method; renew a subscription; restore a cancelled subscription; and cancel a subscription.

In addition, if a user cancels a subscription, Google will send out a cancellation survey so that developers can receive feedback as to why the user is canceling. There is also a “Get Started” link in the empty state that allows users to discover new subscription apps.

And the focus isn’t solely on making things easier for users. The company is launching new tools to help developers manage their business, including the ability to ask users to accept a price change via the Google Play Console without having to set up a new SKU. Google Play will then notify users of the change via emails, push notifications and in-app messaging — and if by renewal date the user hasn’t agreed, their subscription will be canceled.

Other tools will allow developers to upgrade a subscription without changing the user’s expiration date; issue a partial refund from the Play Console; refund specific subscription renewals, not just the latest one; use order IDs with the server-side API; and use the Refund API with the Google Play Developer API.

“We strongly believe that by building a great user experience, we build a high-quality subscriber base. And by giving you tools and insights to better manage your business, you have the flexibility to do what is best for your business and your customers,” wrote Yang and Ying.