In-app billing was a pretty big deal when Google officially released support for it this spring. Carrier billing for app purchases was a pretty big deal when it came out last year. Now mobile Payment company BOKU is banking that in-app carrier billing will a big deal. Their final version of 1-Tap Billing became official today, bringing its service to 56 countries.
Android developers have a tendency not to make as much as a certain other smartphone OS’ developers when it comes to app sales. This is partly due to how many apps are free in the Android market (a lot). Luckily there are lots of other ways to monetize apps, like in-app ads and billing. Until now though, the process had to be done through Google’s APIs which used Google Checkout and was available in around 30 countries.
BOKU is a mobile payment company who is offering a way for devs to make the process not only a bit simpler, but more wide-reaching. BOKU offers a straightforward, payment option for your app’s users. After they’ve decided to make a purchase, they just confirm, and the payment is billed to your cell phone carrier.
For developers interested, check out Boku’s website, where you can sign up, and get their SDK to add the service to your app. BOKU admits that their conversion rates, as well as carrier fees are a bit steeper than Google and credit card companies’, but is confident that simplicity and greater availability will still result in a higher net income for developers. If you’re interested it may be worth your time to look at BOKU’s terms, your app’s monetization plan, and pull out that handy calculator to crunch some numbers and see if you want in.
