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This seems like something that static analysis can correct before the new app is even allowed in the App Store. If you accept a purchase but have no calls the t

This seems like something that static analysis can correct before the new app is even allowed in the App Store. If you accept a purchase but have no calls the the acknowledgement APIs then bounce with a message. Hell, it could even be a compiler warning. This seems squarely Google’s issue and the refund should be returned.

aswinmohanme 7y ago
Yeah a static analysis would have been awesome. Now the refund amount has gotten to over $300 because of the time users tke to update their apps.
- inlined 7y ago
  Or even an different API design. Eg a @noignore return value that guides/requires the dev to acknowledgement.
ehsankia 7y ago
Static analysis aside, as soon as it happens even once, you'd think that there would be a big red warning on your dashboard saying "X purchases were refunded because they weren't acknowledged". The fact that the author had to figure it out through user emails and negative growth is strange.
- shearskill 7y ago
  Mobile games get frequent refund requests and devs are more than a few steps removed from the actual accounting from app stores. The analytics might throw an event if there’s a hook for a refund request but Apple and Google own the bank in a black box. Basically devs get a monthly statement with refunds subtracted from their cut.
  - ehsankia 7y ago
    There's a huge difference between the user explicitely requesting a refund, and Google automatically ordering one because the purchase wasn't acknowledged. I'm not familiar with the API, and I could see both of them looking the same on the dashboard, but Google themselves should be able to distinguish between the two, and one of the two cases is very likely a bug in the app code. I could not see a case where not acknowledging the purchase would be intended.
tjohns 7y ago
This is a great idea. I'll bring it up with the Android Studio team and see what we can do.

aswinmohanme 7y ago

Yeah a static analysis would have been awesome. Now the refund amount has gotten to over $300 because of the time users tke to update their apps.

inlined 7y ago
Or even an different API design. Eg a @noignore return value that guides/requires the dev to acknowledgement.

ehsankia 7y ago

Static analysis aside, as soon as it happens even once, you'd think that there would be a big red warning on your dashboard saying "X purchases were refunded because they weren't acknowledged". The fact that the author had to figure it out through user emails and negative growth is strange.

shearskill 7y ago
Mobile games get frequent refund requests and devs are more than a few steps removed from the actual accounting from app stores. The analytics might throw an event if there’s a hook for a refund request but Apple and Google own the bank in a black box. Basically devs get a monthly statement with refunds subtracted from their cut.
- ehsankia 7y ago
  There's a huge difference between the user explicitely requesting a refund, and Google automatically ordering one because the purchase wasn't acknowledged. I'm not familiar with the API, and I could see both of them looking the same on the dashboard, but Google themselves should be able to distinguish between the two, and one of the two cases is very likely a bug in the app code. I could not see a case where not acknowledging the purchase would be intended.

tjohns 7y ago

This is a great idea. I'll bring it up with the Android Studio team and see what we can do.