Google Will Now Let You Pay For Android Apps With Cold Hard Cash

The Google Play app store ecosystem is robust, and many of the apps that people buy are purchased with a credit card that is tied to the person's Google Play account. For most people linking a credit card to their account isn't a big deal, but that isn't always the case in all market around the globe. Some users fear the security of their credit card information, and often parents don't want to tie a credit card to a kid's account out of fear the child might make unauthorized purchases.

In some countries, the problems are more significant than security. In locations like India where most people use Android devices, but few use credit cards or debit cards with bank accounts, paying for apps is hard to do. Google is moving to fix that with an announcement of a new method of allowing users in some countries to pay for apps using a new feature called pending transactions.

The way pending transactions works is that when the user tries to buy an app from the Google Play Store, they will receive a payment code that can be taken to a participating retail store nearby. Using that payment code, they can pay for the app in cash and then the app will automatically download to the device.

The catch is if users pay for an app in cash and then request a refund, their refund isn't given back in cash. All refunds are given in the form of Google Play Store credit. Once Google has your money, it's theirs. It's unclear if the new payment method will be available globally or just in developing nations like India.

This week Google announced that Android Q Beta 3 is now available with a bunch of new features for mobile devices and a focus on privacy.