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What "In-App Purchases" Means on a Google Play Listing

What 'in-app purchases' means on Google Play: what counts, where the label appears, one-off purchases versus subscriptions and avoiding accidental buys.

By Published 3 min read

Reign Creative LLC makes Video Player All Formats PRO, which this article links to, so we have a commercial interest in it. How we write and check articles.

AI-assisted article. Drafted with AI tools from the sources cited below and checked by automated tests and an AI editorial review. No person has reviewed it yet. How we write and check articles.

Key takeaways

  • Google defines in-app purchases as additional content or services bought inside an app, such as game items, unlocked features or virtual currency.
  • Google Play shows the label by the Price or Install button in the app, and as 'Offers in-app purchases' on the website.
  • Purchases may be one-off, such as a lifetime unlock, or subscriptions that renew until cancelled.
  • Google recommends turning on purchase verification to protect against accidental or unwanted purchases.
  • 'Free' on a listing means free to download; read the listing to see what costs extra and whether the free version shows ads.

A Google Play listing can carry a short line near the install button: In-app purchases. It tells you before you download that the app sells something inside it. This guide explains what it means, the kinds of purchase it covers and how to avoid paying for something by accident, using Google Play's own help.

What counts as an in-app purchase

Google defines in-app purchases as additional content or services you can buy within an app or game, and gives three examples:

  • a sword that gives you more power in a game;
  • a key that unlocks more features of an app;
  • virtual currency that can be used for purchases.

Google's key example, unlocking more features, is the same idea as a premium upgrade, and Google's subscription help covers recurring plans bought through Google Play.

Where the label appears

Google says you can check before downloading:

  • in the Google Play Store app, the in-app purchases notice appears by the Price or Install button;
  • on play.google.com, you will see "Offers in-app purchases" below the app's name.

The label tells you purchases exist, not what they cost, so check the price during checkout before you confirm. Some listings also describe their paid options in the description.

One-off purchases and subscriptions

In-app purchases come in two broad kinds:

One-off purchase Subscription
How you pay Once At the start of every billing cycle
Example A lifetime premium unlock, a coin pack A monthly or yearly premium plan
Ends when It is used or kept for good You cancel
Where to manage Google Play's Budget & order history Google Play's subscriptions page

Google's subscription help is clear on the second kind: subscriptions are for an indefinite term and are charged according to their terms, such as weekly or annually, unless you unsubscribe, and uninstalling an app does not cancel its subscription. The Google Play refund guide covers cancelling and refunds.

A worked example: three ways to pay for one upgrade

Some apps offer the same upgrade more than one way. Our own Video Player All Formats PRO, for example, has a free version that covers local playback and is supported by ads; an optional Premium purchase removes ads and unlocks extra themes, with monthly, yearly and lifetime options shown by Google Play. To compare them, work out what you would pay over the time you expect to use the app. Suppose, purely for illustration, a plan costs $2 a month, $10 a year or $20 for life. Over three years that is $72, $30 or $20. If you expect to keep using the app for three years, the lifetime option costs least in this example; if you are unsure, a single month costs least to try. Always check the actual prices shown at checkout.

Avoiding accidental purchases

Google's help includes one tip worth acting on: check that purchase verification is turned on for your device, which helps protect against accidental or unwanted in-app purchases by requiring authentication. It is worth checking on any phone you share, including with children. Google also notes that some apps let you pre-order items; you are charged on the date the developer specifies, and you can cancel any time before you are charged.

Checkout, promotions and promo codes

Google's help describes the checkout for an in-app purchase: find the item in the app, start the checkout, apply any promotion on offer, confirm the payment method, then follow the on-screen instructions. You can change the promotion or the payment method at that stage, and some in-app purchases accept promotional codes, redeemed from the payment method menu at checkout. If a purchase does not arrive or work, Google's help on problems with in-app purchases, and the app's developer, are the places to start.

In-app purchases versus ads

The in-app purchases label is separate from the Contains ads label. An app can have either, both or neither. Why free Android games show ads explains the ad side. Where an app sells an upgrade that removes ads, as Video Player All Formats PRO does, the two labels appear together.

What to check before you install

  1. Look for both labels: ads and in-app purchases.
  2. Read the description for what the free version includes.
  3. Check the content rating, especially for children; Google Play content ratings explains the labels.
  4. Note whether upgrades are one-off or subscriptions before paying.

Video Player All Formats PRO is one of our video and utility apps; the Android video player guide covers what it plays.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What does in-app purchases mean on Google Play?
That the app sells something inside it. Google gives examples: a sword that gives more power in a game, a key that unlocks more features of an app, or virtual currency that can be used for purchases.
Is a free app with in-app purchases really free?
It is free to download, but some content or features inside it cost money. Read the listing's description for what the free version includes and what an upgrade adds, and check the price at checkout before you confirm.
How do you prevent accidental in-app purchases?
Google recommends checking that purchase verification is turned on for your device, to help protect against accidental or unwanted in-app purchases. It is worth checking on any phone you share with others, including children.
What is the difference between an in-app purchase and a subscription?
A one-off in-app purchase is paid once, such as a lifetime upgrade. A subscription, Google explains, is for an indefinite term and is charged at the start of each billing cycle until you cancel it in Google Play.

Sources

  1. Make in-app purchases in Android apps (opens in a new tab)Google Play Help — accessed
  2. Request a refund on Google Play (opens in a new tab)Google Play Help — accessed
  3. Cancel, pause, or change a subscription on Google Play (opens in a new tab)Google Play Help — accessed

About the author

— The independent app studio that builds the apps covered on this site and publishes every article here. On Google Play it publishes as Reign Collective Apps.

We use AI tools to help research, draft and edit our articles. Each article lists the sources its factual claims rely on, and details about our apps come from their live Google Play listings. No article on this site has been reviewed by an independent expert unless the reviewer is named on it.

No person at Reign Creative LLC has read this article in full. It was published after automated checks and an AI editorial review, which are described in our editorial policy and are not the same as a person reading every sentence.

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