I also tried the donation-route with an app and had to desist (Apple also blocks donations that circumvent their payment system) Only speaking from experience.

I also tried the donation-route with an app and had to desist (Apple also blocks donations that circumvent their payment system) Only speaking from experience. In the end I moved to small in-app purchases. You can still do donations, but you need to make them an in-app purchase. The donation will pay for your work, and for Google's app store presence. Consider the latter carefully. They do advertise your "product". Even though it's open-source, it's still a product because you hope to make money even if in the form of a donation. Their advertisement is actually really cheap if you compare it to what other real-life products pay in places like Google Ads So, if you really want to show that "feel free to donate" screen you need to make the donation an in-app purchase. What is allowed is linking the app to a website, without mentioning anything about a donation, and then showing a donation form straight after clicking. You can do something like "Help->Website" and link it to your donation landing page