Google Play Billing Library updates for Pugpig Bolt
Written by Harry Phillips
Updated at September 27th, 2023
The Google Play Billing Library is an optional part of an Android app that handles in-app purchases. This allows you to sell subscriptions or single issue purchases and deal with things like billing the right card, messaging users about expired cards, pausing subscriptions and so forth.
Google release sporadic updates to this library, and these updates aren't necessarily tied to versions of Android. These updates also get deprecated after varying periods of time, meaning apps using the deprecated versions will no longer be accepted to the store.
Google Play Billing Library 5
According to Google - "Starting on August 2, 2023, all new apps must use Billing Library version 5 or newer. By November 1, 2023, all updates to existing apps must use Billing Library version 5 or newer."
We have added Billing Library version 6 support in Pugpig Bolt Android 3.16, therefore any new app submissions and existing app updates will comply with Google's requirements.
This does not mean your app is going to stop working if you don't update. Any apps that are live in the store will continue to work as is, and users will still be able to download and run these apps as normal.
Previous deprecation - Google Play Billing Library 4
The next deprecation deadline is 1 November 2022, and this applies to versions of the Billing Library lower than 4.0. Google have begun sending some messaging around this deadline, and so this is an explainer of what this means for you, as a customer with a Pugpig Bolt app.
1. Any versions of Pugpig Bolt Android lower than 3.10.10 are running a version of the the Google Play Billing Library lower than 4.0 (i.e will be deprecated)
2. Any versions of Pugpig Bolt Android 3.10.10 or higher include Google Play Billing Library 4.0 or higher. This has already been done, tested and released.
3. This does not mean your app is going to stop working if you don't update. Any apps that are live in the store will continue to work as is, and users will still be able to download and run these apps as normal.
4. Any new apps, i.e those that are not updates to existing apps already need to use Bolt Android 3.10.10 or higher at submission time.
5. Any updates to existing apps will need to use Bolt Android 3.10.10 or higher as of 1 November 2022
6. You do not need to update your existing app ahead of this deadline, your apps will continue to work