In-App Purchases

In-App Purchases (IAPs) allow you to sell a variety of virtual content directly within your app, such as premium features, virtual currency, or extra content. This guide explains how to set up and manage IAPs in the Onside Developer Console.

Overview: How to Set Up In-App Purchases

Setting up In-App Purchases on Onside involves a few key steps:

1. Sign the Paid Apps Agreement: If you haven't already (e.g., when setting up a paid app), ensure that your developer account has accepted the necessary terms for offering paid content. This is typically handled in the Business section of the console.

2. Create an In-App Purchase in the Onside Console: Define each IAP item, its type, name, description, price, and availability directly in the console.

3. Integrate the Onside Payment SDK: Implement our Payment SDK within your app to handle the purchase flow, communicate with Onside servers, and unlock content for users.

(Image: Screenshot of the "How to set up?" overview slide with the three steps.)

This guide focuses on step 2: Creating and managing IAP items in the Onside Developer Console. For SDK integration, please refer to our [Payment SDK Documentation (Link_To_SDK_Docs_Here)].

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Creating an In-App Purchase Item

Follow these steps to define a new IAP item in the Onside Developer Console:

1. Navigate to In-App Purchases:

   • From the Onside Developer Console, select your app (e.g., "Superlist").

   • In the left-hand menu, under your app's settings, click on "In-App Purchases."

   • If you have no IAPs yet, you'll see an invitation to create one. Click the "Create" button.(Image: Screenshot of the empty "In-App Purchases" tab with the "Create" button.)

2. Define Basic IAP Details (Initial Modal): A modal titled "Create an In-App Purchase" will appear.(Image: Screenshot of the "Create an In-App Purchase | empty" modal.)

   • Select type: This is a crucial step. Choose the type of IAP you are creating.

     • (Image: Screenshot of the "Select type" dropdown showing Consumable and Non-Consumable options with their descriptions.)

     • Consumable: A product that is used up and can be purchased multiple times. For example, virtual currency, hints in a game, or extra lives.

     • Non-Consumable: A product that is purchased once and does not expire or decrease with use. For example, unlocking a pro version of an app, removing ads, or accessing a specific feature set permanently.

     • Important: The In-App Purchase type cannot be changed after creation. Choose carefully.

   • Primary language: Select the primary language for your IAP's display information (e.g., English). You can add more localizations later.

   • Product name: Enter a user-facing name for your IAP (e.g., "Superlist Lifetime"). This name will be displayed on the Onside Store product page.

     • Must be less than 30 characters.

     • Cannot be a product name already used by another IAP in this app.

   • Description: Provide a compelling description of what the user gets with this purchase (e.g., "Unlock premium maps and trail recommendations").

     • Must be less than 45 characters (for the initial short description, longer descriptions may be editable on the full IAP page).

     • This description will be displayed on the Onside Store product page.

   • Click "Create."

3. Configure Full IAP Details: After clicking "Create," you'll be taken to the full configuration page for your new IAP item (e.g., "Superlist Lifetime," initially in "Draft" status).(Image: Screenshot of the main IAP configuration page, e.g., "Superlist Lifetime | Draft" status, showing sections like Localizable, General, Image, Availability, Price.)

   Here, you'll need to set up several aspects:

   • Localizable:

     • Review and edit the Product name and Description for your primary language. You can also add localizations for other languages by selecting them from the language dropdown (e.g., "English").

   • General:

     • Type: Confirms the IAP type you selected (e.g., "Non-Consumable"). This cannot be changed.

     • Product ID: A unique identifier for this IAP, often in reverse domain notation (e.g., "com.superlist.lifetime"). This ID is used in your app's code to reference the purchase.

   • Image (Optional):

     • You can Upload image to represent your IAP. This is recommended for better visual appeal.

     • Specs: JPG, PNG, or HEIC, at least 1024x1024 pixels, and up to 1MB.

   • Availability:

     • Click "Set Up Availability" (or "Edit" if already set).

     • Select the countries where you want this IAP to be available for purchase.

   • Price:

     • Click "Add Pricing" (or "Edit" if already set).

     • This follows a similar flow to setting the price for a paid app:

       • Set a Base price for the IAP.

       • Review and confirm Country prices that are automatically generated based on your base price.(Image: Screenshot of the "Price added | Draft" state, showing Country prices.)

4. Save and Activate:

   • Once all details are configured, click "Save." The IAP will remain in "Draft" status.

   • When you are ready to make the IAP live, click "Activate product."

   • After activation, the status will change to "Active."(Image: Screenshots for "In-App Purchase saved | Draft" and "In-App Purchase activated | Active" states.)

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Understanding In-App Purchase Types

Choosing the correct IAP type is essential as it cannot be changed after creation.

• Consumable:

  • What it is: A product that users can purchase multiple times. Its benefit is "consumed" or used up.

  • Examples: Virtual currency (gems, coins), extra lives in a game, a pack of filters for a photo app, hints for a puzzle.

  • User Experience: Once used, the user may need to purchase it again to regain its benefit.

• Non-Consumable:

  • What it is: A product that users purchase once to unlock content or features permanently.

  • Examples: Unlocking the "pro" version of an app, removing advertisements, accessing a specific premium feature set, unlocking a new game level or character pack.

  • User Experience: Once purchased, the user has permanent access to this item or feature on all their devices associated with their Onside account.

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Integrating the Onside Payment SDK

After you have created and activated your In-App Purchase items in the Onside Developer Console, the next crucial step is to integrate the Onside Payment SDK into your application.

This SDK will allow your app to:

• Fetch the list of available IAPs you've configured.

• Initiate the purchase process for a selected IAP.

• Securely handle the transaction with Onside's servers.

• Verify successful purchases.

• Unlock the purchased content or feature for the user.

Please refer to the detailed [Onside Payment SDK Documentation (Link_To_SDK_Docs_Here)] for comprehensive integration instructions, code samples, and best practices.

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Editing an In-App Purchase

You can modify the details of your IAPs after creation. The behavior depends on the IAP's status:

• If the In-App Purchase is in "Draft" status:

  • Any changes you make to its name, description, price, availability, or image will be saved directly and will be reflected when you activate it.

• If the In-App Purchase is in "Active" status:

  • Price Changes: Modifying the price will generally apply to all future purchases of that IAP.

  • Name and Description Changes:

    • For new users or users who have not yet purchased the IAP, the updated name and description will be displayed immediately in the Onside Store.

    • For existing users who have already purchased a Non-Consumable IAP, their purchase history or entitlement record within your app might still reflect the original name associated with their purchase transaction. The functionality they unlocked remains, but the display name in historical records might not change.

  • Changes to active IAPs may go through a quick review or update process before they are live.

Always ensure your IAP information is clear and accurately reflects what the user will receive.