CODEWITHSUNDEEP
androidgoogle-play
user1197722
user1197722

Reputation: 21

Android app gift code implementation

i've got a paid app at the android market and i would like to share some gift codes, so someone can get it for free.

There is no support for gift codes at the android market.

My idea was to make a free version of my app and lock it. If someone gets a gift code, he can download the free app and unlock it with a gift code.

I would like to know if there could be any problems with the android market or google if i upload a "locked" free app?

Or maybe some has a better idea how to solve that problem...

Thanks.

Upvotes: 2

Views: 2119

Answers (2)

Marvin Pinto
Marvin Pinto

Reputation: 31008

One way you could do what you need will be as follows:

  • Your user gets a gift code from somewhere (preferably your website).
  • The user goes into a section of your app where they can redeem the gift code (for example in the unlock app menu option).
  • This gift code is then sent to your server for validation. How you validate this is a whole different topic, but I'm trying to keep this abstract.
  • Your server then responds with the equivalent of yes or no depending on whether the user entered in a valid gift code.

If done right (on your server end), you can effectively guarantee that gift codes can't be used more than once, which also implies they can't be shared (if already used).

The main downside of this method is that if/when someone reverse-engineers your app, unlocking its full capabilities will be quite trivial. Granted the probability of this depends on how much these gift codes cost, if it's worth it, etc, but this is something you should be aware of.

Upvotes: 0

iSun
iSun

Reputation: 1754

You can make a simple website to generate codes, then attach the website URL in your app description at the market So when the user opens the website link gift code will be shown :-D , That's more easier I think :-)

Upvotes: 1

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