Configure in-app purchases and subscriptions in Google Play Console
The Google Play Console is Google’s platform for managing Android apps, including app publishing, in-app purchases, and subscriptions. It serves as the central hub where developers configure their app’s monetization strategy, manage app versions, and handle the app review process. For RevenueCat integration, we’ll specifically focus on using the Google Play Console to set up your in-app purchases and subscriptions.
Google Play Console is only accessible to registered Google Play Developer
accounts. Make sure you have an active account ($25 one-time fee) before
proceeding.
Navigate to the Play Console and select your app. In the left sidebar, find “Monetize” and then “Products”. Click the “In-app products” button and then click the “Create product” button to begin setting up a new in-app purchase:When creating the product, you’ll need to configure the following:
Product ID: Choose a unique identifier for your product. Following best practices, include the price in the ID (e.g., “premium_upgrade_499” for a $4.99 purchase)
Product Details: Configure the following:
Product name: A clear, user-facing title that describes your product
Product description: Detailed explanation of what users get with their purchase
Pricing: Configure the following:
Base price: Set your default price in your primary currency. Depending on your pricing strategy, you may want to check the “Allow users to purchase more than 1 of this product in a single transaction” option.
Tax compliance programs: Configure tax settings and compliance requirements
Once you’ve completed the configuration, click the “Create” button to save your product. Then, click “activate” to activate the in-app product.Below are the key sections you’ll need to complete:
To set up subscriptions, navigate to “Monetize” > “Subscriptions” in the Play Console. Click “Create subscription” to begin. You will be promoted to provide a Product ID (e.g. sub_monthly_9_99) and Name (e.g Monthly Subscription ($9.99)) for your subscription:Once you’ve created the subscription, you’ll be prompted to configure the following:
Set up the subscription: To make a subscription available for purchase, describe its benefits, then create base plans and their offers
Base plans and offers:
Base Plan ID: A unique identifier for the base plan
Type: Auto-renewing, prepaid or installments
Price and availability: Configure regional pricing
Depending on your pricing strategy, you will need to consider which subscription type you want to create for your app, either monthly, yearly or whichever cadence makes sense for your app. Once you
have created your subscriptions, the dashoard should look like the following:
When working with in-app purchases and subscriptions on Android, it’s important to understand that testing can only be done on physical devices - emulators will not work. Additionally, Google Play requires that you create and publish your app to a closed testing track before any purchase testing can occur. According to RevenueCat’s documentation, this is a mandatory requirement that cannot be bypassed.To properly test your in-app purchases and subscriptions, follow these steps to set up a closed testing track:
Navigate to Testing > Closed testing in the Play Console
Create a new closed testing release and upload your app bundle/APK
Add the Gmail addresses of your testers
Complete the testing track setup and submit for review
Wait for Google Play’s approval (typically takes a few hours)
Once your closed testing track is approved, you can begin testing purchases on physical devices. The Play Console offers several comprehensive testing methods to ensure your purchase flows work correctly: