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M
Michel
Level 4.0: Ice cream sandwich
May 27, 2025
Question

Using paid apps in corporate environments

  • May 27, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 1 view

Hi all,

 

I'm just wandering about using paid apps on work devices and wanted to know how others here are working with paid apps. 

 

Another brand I shall not name makes it possible to purchase apps via a portal and then deploy those apps to your end users. But Google / Managed Google play does not offer such a solution. It makes it difficult to deploy paid apps. 

 

While most apps offer license options outside the playstore, not all of them do. How do people on the community deploy paid apps that need to be purchased through the playstore?

 

As said before, just wandering what solutions people use to better advise our customers in such cases. I don't get this question a lot, but every few weeks it pops up somewhere (mainly because we also provide services on the dark side hardware). 

 

I'm aware that this has been mentioned a few years ago on this community, but just seeing if this have evolved. Distributing Paid Apps | Android Enterprise Customer Community - 653

 

Thanks!

 

Michel

3 replies

M
Moombas
Level 4.4: KitKat
May 27, 2025

Hi @Michael,

 

i guess we had 2 possibilities yet in the past:

  1. App developer provides a license key being provided via managed app config to the app. The app contacts a license server of them to validate and count it, if not valid, not able to contact the license server or count exceeded, it does not work.
  2. App just provided by the developer as an apk (not available through play store), so you only get the app when paid for (maybe also combined with a license key to be provided to the app via managed app config).

 

    M
    MichelAuthor
    Level 4.0: Ice cream sandwich
    June 2, 2025

    Hi, thats indeed how most of it goes now. It works for most customers but I hope there will be a solution for other apps as well. 

      M
      Moombas
      Level 4.4: KitKat
      June 2, 2025

      I guess the problem is, you would need to have a "general" company google account (like the one you use for the binding) where you would need to buy an amount of licenses and those get then provided to all google accounts created through that by the MDM.

      The problem here is, you need to consider so many things like "When do you revoke such licenses?", "Does the MDM need to report somthing back when you remove/unenroll a device from it?" ... and so on

      It seem easy but i guess it's very complicated to acchieve it. The question most likely is, is Google willing to investigfate this? @Emilie_B 

        Alex_Muc
        Alex_Muc
        Level 3.0: Honeycomb
        June 2, 2025

        A few weeks ago, we had a meeting with a small developer from which we'd like to use a purchase app. I mentioned three possibilities in the Meeting:

         

        1. Switch from the buy model to in-app purchases, since paid apps cannot be managed. Implement an app config, where a volume license can be specified and checked by the app backend to unlock the app.
        2. Provide APKs that are distributed via MDM.
        3. Upload an alternative, free private app in the Play Store that is explicitly assigned to users or company IDs.

         

        Points 2 and 3 have significant problems. Not every MDM can distribute APKs directly. In addition, there is no useful overview for developers as to whether customers are exceeding their purchased licenses. In addition, the developer must also distribute the app via alternative channels or regularly invest additional effort.
        An AppConfig+volume licenses is the best option. But even here, a developer has to put in a bit of effort. Be it to put content behind a paywall or to build in a mechanism for license verification.

         

        The topic of paid apps is something that “the other brand” is very good at. It would be nice if there were improvements in the Play Store in the future. 😀

          F
          Franz_Stadler
          New Member
          June 11, 2025

          We also often struggle regarding this topic mostly with smaller app developers, large app developers often already have an alternate licensing in place, where we then distribute the license key/token via an app config, or they are able and willing (sometimes with an additional service fee) to provide a private app via Managed Google Play.

          So, also we would appreciate a solution to purchase paid apps as company.
          But not only paid apps, also in-app purchases and even subscriptions (which is also not available form “the other brand”). 👍

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