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Google Play In-app Billing does not support donations [1], so open source developers should be allowed to link to their own donation pages. Google Play policies

Google Play In-app Billing does not support donations [1], so open source developers should be allowed to link to their own donation pages. Google Play policies do not spell out that linking to donation platforms such as Patreon is forbidden. Disallowing developers from using in-app billing for donations, while also barring them from linking to external donation platforms, puts open source projects in a difficult position, and appears to be overly hostile towards funding open source development. Google must clarify their position on whether they allow donation links in apps published on Google Play. The app takedowns [2] of the last few days show that this is a significant development, and it is of great importance for all open source developers. It's best to publicly document the messages you receive during app takedowns, since app store policies are often vague, it's easy for reviewers to make mistakes, and having a clear reference for these decisions also helps the public assess the validity of the takedown. [1] https://play.google.com/about/monetization-ads/ https://play.google.com/about/monetization-ads/ > Here are some examples of products not currently supported by Google Play In-app Billing: > One time-payments, including peer-to-peer payments, online auctions, and donations. [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21268389 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21268389

anilshanbhag 7y ago
In this case, can't you simply have a one time purchase instead of a donation ?
- dessant 7y ago
  There are always workarounds, but that is not the point. We must not allow these platforms to discriminate against funding open source development through donations.
enriquto 7y ago
> (...) puts open source projects in a difficult position, and appears to be overly hostile towards funding open source development. This is the problem of developing free software on a non-free platform. They have absolute control of your work under their own terms, no matter how ridiculous they are. I never understood why the google play store is a socially acceptable idea for free software developers.
- anchpop 7y ago
  It's the most widely used software distribution channel in the world. I'm sure most would prefer to distribute on F-Droid but open source developers want their apps to be successful too.
  - a3_nm 7y ago
    ... and this is why it's a good idea to use F-Droid instead of the Google Play Store if you can.
krn 7y ago
> Disallowing developers from using in-app billing for donations, while also barring them from linking to external donation platforms, puts open source projects in a difficult position, and appears to be overly hostile towards funding open source development. Google Play has been very clear about this[1]: > Fund solicitations > Examples: Donation solicitations from parties without a valid 501(c)(3) tax exempt status clearly displayed to the public; solicitations from parties without valid proof of exempt tax status or proof of registration with the relevant country's regulatory bodies and authorities; and political organizations that have registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) For instance, Wikipedia displays an external "Support Wikipedia" link in the main menu of its Android app[2] without violating Google Play's terms and conditions. [1] https://support.google.com/faqs/answer/75724?hl=en https://support.google.com/faqs/answer/75724?hl=en [2] https://i.imgur.com/MEut6yC.png https://i.imgur.com/MEut6yC.png
- dessant 7y ago
  It appears only non-profit organizations are allowed to use Google Play In-app Billing for donations, which is fine. But why are we forbidden from linking to an external page that lists other ways to support a project, such as Patreon? I think we should stop being apologetic, and begin to call out Google for the damage they are inflicting upon open source developers.
  - krn 7y ago
    > If only non-profit organizations are allowed to use Google Play In-app Billing for donations Nobody is allowed to use Google Play's in-app billing for donations, and only organizations with a valid tax exempt status can link to an external page that lists donation options.
    - dessant 7y ago
      The page you linked to lists activities that are forbidden if you use Google payments. > Any individual or business processing transactions with Google payments must adhere to these policies.
    - 7y ago
chapium 7y ago
> Google Play In-app Billing does not support donations [1], so open source developers should be allowed to link to their own donation pages. Ok, I had to stop there. They have no claim to this as long as they distribute within the store. It would be nice if google allowed this, but there is no obligation. App Stores are monopolies and should be regulated to allow open distribution.
jammygit 7y ago
I don’t believe cable tv, for how locked down and awful it is/was, ever went so far as to try and limit any spending outside their own platforms. Perhaps it was a lack of innovation, but the internet and the world of software licensing is gross by comparison
silentguy 7y ago
Why can't open source app developer have companion donation app like many freemium android apps do?
raxxorrax 7y ago
I just cannot comprehend how there are thousands of predatory apps on the store and these apps get banned. Aside from that it should highlight problems with app stores as a model for software distriubtion in general, although I don't have much hope that this will happen in the immediate future. That there even exists such a rule is ridiculous and unacceptable in my opinion.
rozab 7y ago
Perhaps the solution would be to allow users to buy a 'virtual currency' in the app that actually doesn't do anything? It could be argued that this is a vanity item, like cosmetics, and so is exempt.

anilshanbhag 7y ago

In this case, can't you simply have a one time purchase instead of a donation ?

dessant 7y ago
There are always workarounds, but that is not the point. We must not allow these platforms to discriminate against funding open source development through donations.

enriquto 7y ago

> (...) puts open source projects in a difficult position, and appears to be overly hostile towards funding open source development. This is the problem of developing free software on a non-free platform. They have absolute control of your work under their own terms, no matter how ridiculous they are. I never understood why the google play store is a socially acceptable idea for free software developers.

anchpop 7y ago
It's the most widely used software distribution channel in the world. I'm sure most would prefer to distribute on F-Droid but open source developers want their apps to be successful too.
- a3_nm 7y ago
  ... and this is why it's a good idea to use F-Droid instead of the Google Play Store if you can.

krn 7y ago

> Disallowing developers from using in-app billing for donations, while also barring them from linking to external donation platforms, puts open source projects in a difficult position, and appears to be overly hostile towards funding open source development. Google Play has been very clear about this[1]: > Fund solicitations > Examples: Donation solicitations from parties without a valid 501(c)(3) tax exempt status clearly displayed to the public; solicitations from parties without valid proof of exempt tax status or proof of registration with the relevant country's regulatory bodies and authorities; and political organizations that have registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) For instance, Wikipedia displays an external "Support Wikipedia" link in the main menu of its Android app[2] without violating Google Play's terms and conditions. [1] https://support.google.com/faqs/answer/75724?hl=en https://support.google.com/faqs/answer/75724?hl=en [2] https://i.imgur.com/MEut6yC.png https://i.imgur.com/MEut6yC.png

dessant 7y ago
It appears only non-profit organizations are allowed to use Google Play In-app Billing for donations, which is fine. But why are we forbidden from linking to an external page that lists other ways to support a project, such as Patreon? I think we should stop being apologetic, and begin to call out Google for the damage they are inflicting upon open source developers.
- krn 7y ago
  > If only non-profit organizations are allowed to use Google Play In-app Billing for donations Nobody is allowed to use Google Play's in-app billing for donations, and only organizations with a valid tax exempt status can link to an external page that lists donation options.
  - dessant 7y ago
    The page you linked to lists activities that are forbidden if you use Google payments. > Any individual or business processing transactions with Google payments must adhere to these policies.
  - 7y ago

chapium 7y ago

> Google Play In-app Billing does not support donations [1], so open source developers should be allowed to link to their own donation pages. Ok, I had to stop there. They have no claim to this as long as they distribute within the store. It would be nice if google allowed this, but there is no obligation. App Stores are monopolies and should be regulated to allow open distribution.

jammygit 7y ago

I don’t believe cable tv, for how locked down and awful it is/was, ever went so far as to try and limit any spending outside their own platforms. Perhaps it was a lack of innovation, but the internet and the world of software licensing is gross by comparison

silentguy 7y ago

Why can't open source app developer have companion donation app like many freemium android apps do?

raxxorrax 7y ago

I just cannot comprehend how there are thousands of predatory apps on the store and these apps get banned. Aside from that it should highlight problems with app stores as a model for software distriubtion in general, although I don't have much hope that this will happen in the immediate future. That there even exists such a rule is ridiculous and unacceptable in my opinion.

rozab 7y ago

Perhaps the solution would be to allow users to buy a 'virtual currency' in the app that actually doesn't do anything? It could be argued that this is a vanity item, like cosmetics, and so is exempt.