Google Play => Make Paid app FREE for a limited period. How?

General (non-technical) Marketing and Monetization
#1

Is it even possible? We’re running a campaign with Free App a Day for Quopples, starting in 4 hours. We’d like to make Quopples free for Android users as well during the campaign period, but I can’t find that it’s possible. We can switch the app to Free, but then it’s not possible to switch it back to paid later. And it’s not possible to put 0 dollars in the price field.

Do we need to create a new app for the paid version but set it to free, and unpublish it after the campaign has ended? Not a good solution, though, it’s going to create a rush of support tickets in the future from users who downloaded the paid app for free and need to re-download it later when it no longer exists as free.

Any suggestions? Anyone tackled this before? [import]uid: 21746 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 334445[/import]

#2

Sure. Once it is installed log the date of first run.
Then, after it’s run make the “unlock” an IAP.

Optionally, if you have a server have them register - then expire the registration without an IAP.

HTH!

[import]uid: 13784 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136928[/import]

#3

Android doesn’t allow you to change an app from free to paid. [import]uid: 132483 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136929[/import]

#4

I’d also like to know it anybody has found a better solution for this dilemma. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as promo-codes either.
I ended up creating a separate promo version which I unpublished at the end of the promotion.

[import]uid: 70847 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136973[/import]

#5

Yes, we thought about doing that as well, but the app has virtual in-app currency bought with unmanaged in-app purchases, and I’m not sure if the inapps continue to work after it has been unpublished.

For now we’re running the campaign on iOS only, and the Android users draws the shortest straw again. Uhm, they did that the second they spent money on an Android device, so… I’m sure the world would be a better place without Android. At least for devs and game publishers! [import]uid: 21746 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136974[/import]

#6

Not sure either, but I would suspect that the in-apps are subject to the Package ID being live, which would then be a problem for your managed items.

If it wasn’t for Amazon, I think I’d skip Android altogether. One good thing though is that it doesn’t require much extra work to get the Android versions ready for distribution with Corona.
For me iOS is my main concern, and if something doesn’t work the way I want it to on Android it’ll have to wait… [import]uid: 70847 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136977[/import]

#7

Sure. Once it is installed log the date of first run.
Then, after it’s run make the “unlock” an IAP.

Optionally, if you have a server have them register - then expire the registration without an IAP.

HTH!

[import]uid: 13784 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136928[/import]

#8

Android doesn’t allow you to change an app from free to paid. [import]uid: 132483 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136929[/import]

#9

I’d also like to know it anybody has found a better solution for this dilemma. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as promo-codes either.
I ended up creating a separate promo version which I unpublished at the end of the promotion.

[import]uid: 70847 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136973[/import]

#10

Yes, we thought about doing that as well, but the app has virtual in-app currency bought with unmanaged in-app purchases, and I’m not sure if the inapps continue to work after it has been unpublished.

For now we’re running the campaign on iOS only, and the Android users draws the shortest straw again. Uhm, they did that the second they spent money on an Android device, so… I’m sure the world would be a better place without Android. At least for devs and game publishers! [import]uid: 21746 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136974[/import]

#11

Not sure either, but I would suspect that the in-apps are subject to the Package ID being live, which would then be a problem for your managed items.

If it wasn’t for Amazon, I think I’d skip Android altogether. One good thing though is that it doesn’t require much extra work to get the Android versions ready for distribution with Corona.
For me iOS is my main concern, and if something doesn’t work the way I want it to on Android it’ll have to wait… [import]uid: 70847 topic_id: 34445 reply_id: 136977[/import]