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Cheat sheet for working with iOS, iTunes, AppStore auto-renewables or Android, GooglePlay subscriptions

How to test auto-renewable subscriptions on iOS and Android?

Test purchases

Sandbox Live
iOS Sandbox account TestFlight internal/external
Android License testing group via Alpha Channel

Release Management > App releases > Manage Alpha > Manage testers		 License testing account via Alpha/Internal Channel

Settings > Account details > Gmail accounts with testing access


Reduced test subscription time

Test subscriptions renew more quickly than normal to aid in testing. The following table identifies the testing renewal times for subscriptions of various durations.

Note: Test subscriptions will renew a maximum of 6 times.


iOS AppStore Connect



Note: Test subscriptions will renew a maximum of 6 times; after that you can continue testing with the user.
Actual Duration
Test Duration
1 week3 minutes
1 month5 minutes
2 months10 minutes
3 months15 minutes
6 months30 minutes
1 year1 hour


Android Google Play


Production subscription periodTest subscription renewal
1 week5 minutes
1 month5 minutes
3 months10 minutes
6 months15 minutes
1 year30 minutes

The time-based features available for subscriptions, such as free-trials, are also shortened for testing. The following table identifies the testing time periods associated with time-based subscription features:

Feature
Test period
Free trial3 minutes
Introductory price periodSame as subscription test period
Grace period (both 3- and 7-day) 5 minutes
Account hold10 minutes



Testing Google Play Billing Responses


There are three reserved product IDs for testing static Google Play Billing responses:

android.test.purchased

When you make an Google Play Billing request with this product ID, Google Play responds as though you successfully purchased an item. The response includes a JSON string, which contains fake purchase information (for example, a fake order ID).

android.test.canceled

When you make an Google Play Billing request with this product ID Google Play responds as though the purchase was canceled. This can occur when an error is encountered in the order process, such as an invalid credit card, or when you cancel a user's order before it is charged.

android.test.item_unavailable

When you make an Google Play Billing request with this product ID, Google Play responds as though the item being purchased was not listed in your application's product list.

Cancelling test purchases or sandbox purchases


Android
Google Play accumulates completed test purchases for each user but does not pass them on to financial processing.

Test purchases are not automatically canceled, so you might want to manually cancel a test purchase to continue testing. To do so, open the app page in the Play Store. If the test purchase that you want to cancel is a subscription, you can also use the cancel() method of the Purchases.subscriptions API.

Important: The refund() and revoke() methods of the Purchases.subscriptions API don't support test purchases.


iOS
You cannot continue to test the auto-renewing aspect of the subscription for that test user after 5 renewals. To test the auto-renewing aspect you must create a new test user.

Server-side real-time update of subscription changes



There are events available for iOS:
To receive status update notifications, configure a subscription status URL for your app in App Store Connect. The App Store will deliver JSON objects via an HTTP POST to your server for the key subscription events. Your server is responsible for parsing, interpreting, and responding to all statusUpdateNotification posts.

Apple Developer
How we implemented Apple Server To Server notifications


And Android:
Google Play Billing provides server push notifications that let you monitor state changes for Play-managed subscriptions. By enabling Real-Time Developer Notifications, you'll receive a purchase token directly from Cloud Pub/Sub anytime there is an update to an existing subscription.

Android Developer

iOS Deeplinks


Additionally, your app can deep link customers to the payment details page within App Store on their device by opening this URL


For users who wish to cancel their subscription, your app can open the following URL:


Links


iOS
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