Google Is Letting People Pay Cash For Android Apps At Their Local Shops - BuzzFeed News

Buying an app on your phone is straightforward: You head to the App Store or the Google Play Store, tap on the buy button, and have your credit card automatically charged when the app downloads.

In emerging markets like India, a country where nearly everyone uses Android phones and nearly no one uses a credit card, that’s a problem.

On Wednesday, Google announced that it was making it easier for people in countries like these to buy apps without using credit card with a feature called “pending transactions”.

When a user tries to buy an app from the Google Play Store, they can choose to receive a payment code, which they can take to a participating retail store near them, and pay for their purchase in cold, hard cash — after which their app will automatically download to their device.

“This is a new class of delayed form of payment — like cash, bank transfer, and direct debit,” Aurash Mahbod, Google’s director of engineering for the Play Store, told TechCrunch. All refunds, however, come back to users only in the form of Play Store credit.

Google’s Android operating system powers nearly three quarters of the world’s mobile phones, but the Google Play Store doesn’t generate as much money as Apple’s App Store does. In the third quarter of 2018, for instance, the App Store generated 93% more revenue than the Play Store.

By making it easier for people in countries where most people don’t use credit cards to pay for its apps, that's a gap Google is hoping to close.

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https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/google-is-letting-people-buy-android-apps-at-their

2019-05-09 08:38:00Z
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Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

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A few years ago, Google added carrier billing to the Play Store to make paid apps and in-app payments more accessible, even in emerging markets. Now, the tech giant is making it even easier for users in developing regions and other primarily cash-based societies to get their hands on paid content. It's rolling out a new payment option called "pending transactions," which Play Store Director of Engineering Aurash Mahbod describes as a "new class of delayed form of payment -- like cash, bank transfer and direct debit."

The version that's now live in Japan and Mexico allows users to buy paid apps by paying cash at local convenience stores. Google will follow up with the ability to pay for in-app transactions and will most likely make the option available in other developing nations.

They'd simply have to show the cashier the transaction code when they pay within the allotted time, so their accounts can be credited with the amount. If all goes well, their payments will be processed in as short as 10 minutes, though it could take as long as 48 hours if anything goes awry. Unfortunately, transactions paid through the option can't be refunded -- good thing users can think about their decision while making their way to the store.

Google launched the new payment option, since emerging markets are an area of growth for developers. The hope is to turn free users into paying ones. Cash-based transactions are still preferred in those regions, after all, where few people have access to credit cards and don't always have postpaid plans.

Source: TechCrunch

In this article: gear, google, google play, internet, mobile, payment

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/09/google-play-pending-transactions/

2019-05-09 08:15:40Z
52780284024875

Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

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Google

A few years ago, Google added carrier billing to the Play Store to make paid apps and in-app payments more accessible, even in emerging markets. Now, the tech giant is making it even easier for users in developing regions and other primarily cash-based societies to get their hands on paid content. It's rolling out a new payment option called "pending transactions," which Play Store Director of Engineering Aurash Mahbod describes as a "new class of delayed form of payment -- like cash, bank transfer and direct debit."

The version that's now live in Japan and Mexico allows users to buy paid apps by paying cash at local convenience stores. Google will follow up with the ability to pay for in-app transactions and will most likely make the option available in other developing nations.

They'd simply have to show the cashier the transaction code when they pay within the allotted time, so their accounts can be credited with the amount. If all goes well, their payments will be processed in as short as 10 minutes, though it could take as long as 48 hours if anything goes awry. Unfortunately, transactions paid through the option can't be refunded -- good thing users can think about their decision while making their way to the store.

Google launched the new payment option, since emerging markets are an area of growth for developers. The hope is to turn free users into paying ones. Cash-based transactions are still preferred in those regions, after all, where few people have access to credit cards and don't always have postpaid plans.

Source: TechCrunch

In this article: gear, google, google play, internet, mobile, payment

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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2019-05-09 07:54:58Z
CAIiEJf5MMI77Z7wO6x-CPWjWMEqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowwOjjAjDp3xswpuqvAw

Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

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Google

A few years ago, Google added carrier billing to the Play Store to make paid apps and in-app payments more accessible, even in emerging markets. Now, the tech giant is making it even easier for users in developing regions and other primarily cash-based societies to get their hands on paid content. It's rolling out a new payment option called "pending transactions," which Play Store Director of Engineering Aurash Mahbod describes as a "new class of delayed form of payment -- like cash, bank transfer and direct debit."

The version that's now live in Japan and Mexico allows users to buy paid apps by paying cash at local convenience stores. Google will follow up with the ability to pay for in-app transactions and will most likely make the option available in other developing nations.

They'd simply have to show the cashier the transaction code when they pay within the allotted time, so their accounts can be credited with the amount. If all goes well, their payments will be processed in as short as 10 minutes, though it could take as long as 48 hours if anything goes awry. Unfortunately, transactions paid through the option can't be refunded -- good thing users can think about their decision while making their way to the store.

Google launched the new payment option, since emerging markets are an area of growth for developers. The hope is to turn free users into paying ones. Cash-based transactions are still preferred in those regions, after all, where few people have access to credit cards and don't always have postpaid plans.

Source: TechCrunch

In this article: gear, google, google play, internet, mobile, payment

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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2019-05-09 07:52:14Z
CAIiEJf5MMI77Z7wO6x-CPWjWMEqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowwOjjAjDp3xswpuqvAw

Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

Sponsored Links

Google

A few years ago, Google added carrier billing to the Play Store to make paid apps and in-app payments more accessible, even in emerging markets. Now, the tech giant is making it even easier for users in developing regions and other primarily cash-based societies to get their hands on paid content. It's rolling out a new payment option called "pending transactions," which Play Store Director of Engineering Aurash Mahbod describes as a "new class of delayed form of payment -- like cash, bank transfer and direct debit."

The version that's now live in Japan and Mexico allows users to buy paid apps by paying cash at local convenience stores. Google will follow up with the ability to pay for in-app transactions and will most likely make the option available in other developing nations.

They'd simply have to show the cashier the transaction code when they pay within the allotted time, so their accounts can be credited with the amount. If all goes well, their payments will be processed in as short as 10 minutes, though it could take as long as 48 hours if anything goes awry. Unfortunately, transactions paid through the option can't be refunded -- good thing users can think about their decision while making their way to the store.

Google launched the new payment option, since emerging markets are an area of growth for developers. The hope is to turn free users into paying ones. Cash-based transactions are still preferred in those regions, after all, where few people have access to credit cards and don't always have postpaid plans.

Source: TechCrunch

In this article: gear, google, google play, internet, mobile, payment

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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2019-05-09 07:47:57Z
CAIiEJf5MMI77Z7wO6x-CPWjWMEqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowwOjjAjDp3xswpuqvAw

Android users can pay in cash on Google Play - Engadget

Sponsored Links

Google

A few years ago, Google added carrier billing to the Play Store to make paid apps and in-app payments more accessible, even in emerging markets. Now, the tech giant is making it even easier for users in developing regions and other primarily cash-based societies to get their hands on paid content. It's rolling out a new payment option called "pending transactions," which Play Store Director of Engineering Aurash Mahbod describes as a "new class of delayed form of payment -- like cash, bank transfer and direct debit."

The version that's now live in Japan and Mexico allows users to buy paid apps by paying cash at local convenience stores. Google will follow up with the ability to pay for in-app transactions and will most likely make the option available in other developing nations.

They'd simply have to show the cashier the transaction code when they pay within the allotted time, so their accounts can be credited with the amount. If all goes well, their payments will be processed in as short as 10 minutes, though it could take as long as 48 hours if anything goes awry. Unfortunately, transactions paid through the option can't be refunded -- good thing users can think about their decision while making their way to the store.

Google launched the new payment option, since emerging markets are an area of growth for developers. The hope is to turn free users into paying ones. Cash-based transactions are still preferred in those regions, after all, where few people have access to credit cards and don't always have postpaid plans.

Source: TechCrunch

In this article: gear, google, google play, internet, mobile, payment

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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2019-05-09 07:47:39Z
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Google’s New Privacy Features Put the Responsibility on Users - WIRED

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1. Google’s New Privacy Features Put the Responsibility on Users  WIRED
2. Google Pixel 3A review: a $399 phone with a great camera  The Verge
3. Dealmaster: There’s a bunch of special offers for the new Google Pixel 3A  Ars Technica
4. Pixel 3a vs. Pixel 3: Great camera for the price makes Google's $399 phone the better buy  USA TODAY
5. Google I/O 2019 event in 13 minutes  The Verge
6. View full coverage on Google News

https://www.wired.com/story/googles-new-privacy-features-put-the-responsibility-on-users/

2019-05-08 20:32:00Z
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