Ever seen an app on the Play Store a few times, noticing a different price every time? If that’s been a mystery to you, well fret no longer. Because Google has solved the issue; developers can now indicate sales and discounts on their apps right on the Play Store. Though the feature already existed on other Play Store elements, app developers had to manually change the price of their app whenever they wanted to offer a discount.
What it means to average users.
Now when you look at a discounted app on the Play Store, you’ll see a crossed-out list price. That’s the original price of the app. Below this price, you’ll find the buy now button indicating the new discounted price. You’ll also see a banner beneath the button indicating the end-date for the sale.
What it means for developers.
If you’re a developer on the Play Store, you should know that Google has a bunch of rules for apps on sale. To prevent developers from offering apps cheaper to trick consumers, Google has imposed the following restrictions:
- A sale must be at least 30% off the price of the app.
- The sale should last at least an entire day, but not longer than 8 days.
- As a developer, you can’t start a new sales within 30 days of ending one.
- Sales are limited to an app’s purchase price and will not extend to subscriptions or in-app purchases.
It’s not much, but–
This update brings in the much-needed clarity for consumers. Now at least we can understand the reasons for the sudden price fluctuations of our favourite apps. And developers, too, get a new way of promoting their apps. Looks like Google just hit a win-win situation.
