Newsletter
Promo codes are probably the most nifty invention ever. They give you discounts, free stuff, or unlock cool characters in your favorite game. Apple’s App Store has had promo codes for quite some time now but now that feature has landed in the Google Play Store. The news came out through the android developers website which gives developers insight on how to implement this feature into their apps. Google describes their promo codes as a way for developers to give away content or new features to a limited number of users. Google says that promo codes can be used as a way to creatively engage their users.
Google gave some examples of how exactly developers can use these promo codes. The first example given is an event that users can go to and while they are there, the developer can distribute promo codes. The user then can enter the promo code to unlock items. Another example used was for the developer to pass around promo codes at a local business or venue. In return the developer has promoted his app to potential users that will enter the promo code and try out their app. The final picture Google painted was for the developer to give out friends and family codes to employees so they can share them with friends.
The new implementation of promo codes is awesome. Unfortunately there is a few downsides to the new program. To start, you can’t use promo codes for in-app subscriptions. So if you have a subscription to an app, promo codes cannot be used unless the app was purchased. Secondly, for every app or game that is available in the Play Store, they have a limit of 500 promo codes. These 500 promo codes are available quarterly and do not roll over into the following quarter. Now with all the scary news out of the way, promo codes do last up to a year but let’s say if the developer wanted it to last for up to 3 months he can set an expiration date.
The new promo code feature is currently available for developers in the Dev console. So if you are a developer and wish to add promo code support, you can visit the Dev console to learn out to add this new feature to your app.