Android Question Is any special coding needed to use in-app Promo Codes (NOT for subscriptions)?

[Andris]

I have an app which makes in-app purchases with no problem. I assumed that Google Play Promo Codes (not the subscription kind), once created on the Google Play console, were just another method of payment that pops up when purchases are initiated and payment choices are offered by Google billing. So far though, entering a promo code has always resulted in "Could not redeem code at this time. Please try again later." Google's instructions on integrating promo codes with apps say that redemptions are treated as outside purchases needing special processing, but they are pretty unclear as to what that means.

Can anyone tell me definitively that no further coding is necessary beyond just implementing Google Play Billing the way you do for regular in-app products? Or is there something I'm missing?

 

[JohnC]

I have not needed to add any special code to an app in order for it to accept a promo code.

One thing to note is that I believe when you generate a block of promo codes, the earliest "start" date you can specify is tomorrow - so if you try to use one of the codes right away (the same day you generated the codes) I believe it will fail because it's not yet valid - wait until the start date and then try again.

 

[Andris]

I have not needed to add any special code to an app in order for it to accept a promo code.

One thing to note is that I believe when you generate a block of promo codes, the earliest "start" date you can specify is tomorrow - so if you try to use one of the codes right away (the same day you generated the codes) I believe it will fail because it's not yet valid - wait until the start date and then try again.

In this case, the code was definitely within the active period. Maybe it was an Apple problem. Thanks for the quick response - it's good to know I can cross this off the worry list.

 

[JohnC]

Maybe it was an Apple problem.

Did you mean "google"? Because my response was based on google's in-app purchases

 

[Andris]

Did you mean "google"? Because my response was based on google's in-app purchases

Embarrassed. Yes I meant Google. Have a parallel Apple app I'm working on at the same time so sometimes I don't know where I am ...

 

[Andris]

I have not needed to add any special code to an app in order for it to accept a promo code.

One thing to note is that I believe when you generate a block of promo codes, the earliest "start" date you can specify is tomorrow - so if you try to use one of the codes right away (the same day you generated the codes) I believe it will fail because it's not yet valid - wait until the start date and then try again.

JohnC, have you ever received the message "Could not redeem code at this time. Try again later."? It never responds in any other way for me or my customer. Valid dates, and set up correctly. I have a case started with Google but who knows when they will respond.

 

[JohnC]

Other then due to a bad date, I have not run into that issue.

 

[Andris]

Other then due to a bad date, I have not run into that issue.

So you got that identical message when you had a bad date?

 

[JohnC]

It happened over two years ago, so I don't remember the exact wording.