Android App Monetization Here is a compact yet deep technical step-by-step wisdom to Monetizing Android apps running on mobile smartphones and tablets. All content here are in one page with clickable flowcharts, wise tips, but without the sales hype and confusing generalities. Show me the money! Related topics elsewhere on this same website (WilsonMar.com):   1. Android Index - Gurus, Websites, Books, Classes, Videos, Chats, etc.   2. Android Versions   3. Android Mobile Devices   4. Mobile Carrier Selection   5. Android Watches   6. Android Device Usage Basics   7. Android App Side-loading   8. Android App Markets and Reviewers   9. Android Utility Apps 10. Android User Apps 11. Android USB Connections 12. Android OS Rooting and Rooted Apps 13. Android App Frameworks 14. Android Java Eclipse Development Setup 15. Android Emulators 16. Android Java Programming and Testing 17. Android App Localization and Testing 18. Android Lifecycle and Testing 19. Android Data Management and Testing 20. Android User Preferences and Experience Features 21. Android UI Programming and Testing 22. HTML5 Features 23. HTML5 Coding and Testing 24. Android User Controls Coding and Testing 25. Android Hardware Control and Testing 26. Android Services Coding and Testing 27. Android App Monetization 28. Android App Marketing 29. Mobile VuGen Scripting for Load Testing 30. Lua Programming My Android Acronym Quizlet covers all acronyms on this page, viewable by the free Kaka Flashcard Android app

Topics this page: Paid Apps App Website Admob Ads Other App Ads In-App Purchases Your comments???

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Paid Apps

According to Distimo, the vast majority of apps are FREE in app stores (Google's Android Market and Apple's iTunes).

This is perhaps because about they take 30% of dollars.

Because of piracy, no one publishes paid apps in China.

CAUTION: Some ad inserters publish ads in user's Notifications. While this gives the ad more attention, many users may find this intrusive.

Preparations: Organization App Website and Email Address

Before an app is put on any market, this needs to be done.

Create an organization identity with its own web page and email address (such as support@myorg.com).
You'll be receiving ad revenue using this account.

Each app should have its own separate email address, different than your personal email. (such as myapp@myorg.com).
You may have someone else manage an app for you without giving out your personal email.
Or someday you may want to sell your app to someone.

Google Admob Ads in Apps

Android- The Finishing Touches is a gem for covering what no one else covers: integration of WEBSITE: AdMob.

Google owns Admob, so it requires a Google email account.

But you don't want to use your own person email for use with Admob. Someday you may need someone else to manage your app marketing for you, without needing to give out the credentials to your personal email.

1. Sign-out from your personal Gmail account. If you have it set to automatically fill-in your sign-in info, delete it in those boxes so they are blank.
2. Below the sign-in box there is a link to create an acct. click on it.
This opens a page to open a new gmail acct. as if you didn't already have one.
3. FIll out the info. Where it asks for Recovery email, enter your existing (original & primary) gmail email address.
4. Tip: If you want to access and send email with this username/email address from your primary acct. a simple way to assign a new username and password to this new acct. is to use the ones assigned to your primary acct and add a number to the end.
   ie: primary acct. username: xyz123@gmail.com 2nd. acct. username: xyz1232@gmail.com
5. When this acct. is set up and you've signed-into it to verify the acct. is ready to go............sign out of it.
6. Go back to the sign-in page and sign-into your primary acct. You should find an email advising you your 2nd email address has been set up. It will provide a "verification code". Be sure to copy and save that email and the code information. You may need it in the future.
7. While still in your primary email acct., click on the "Settings" link in the upper right corner.
8. Once in settings, click on the link for "Accounts and Imports".
9. The 2nd. section is "Send mail as" that's the one you want to use.
10. Click on button for "Send mail from another address".
11. When that window opens, fill in the information from your 2nd. username/email address.
12. This will allow you to send email from your primary acct. /email address as if it were coming from your 2nd. acct./email address.
13. Once you've done that, there is also a choice provided in the "Send mail as" section to have your mail go out from your default username (usually your primary email acct.) or from the username that the email was sent to. Select how you want your username (email address) to read on outgoing email.
14. For ex: I wanted to be able to read & respond to email from my primary acct. regardless which email address (username) the email was sent to. If an email was sent to my 2nd. email address, I wanted the response to appear to come from that username/ address. Therefore, I selected the top choice: "Reply from the same address the message was sent to"
15. Your second email acct/address will be sent a confirmation email with a special code to confirm this is what you want to do. You need to sign out of your primary acct, and sign-in to your 2nd. acct. Copy and save that email. Click on the link to confirm that you want to send email from your primary acct. with this username.
16. Now you have two accounts/email addresses set up and can send email to both from your primary acct.
17. Now set up your second acct. so that all your email will be forwarded to your primary email address. Once this is set-up , you will not have to go back and forth between the two email accts. to access or send mail.
18. Sign-out of your primary acct.
19. Sign into your second Gmail acct. Go to "Settings".
20. Click on "Forwarding and POP/IMAP". The first section is "Forwarding".
21. Click on "Add a forwarding address".
22. A little pop-up will appear. FIll-in the email address of your primary email acct. This will forward all the email received in this new acct. to your primary acct. Click on next and follow instructions.
23. Now, sign-out of your 2nd. email address and sign-in to your primary email acct. You will find an email requesting your okay to receive email forwarded from your 2nd. email address.
24. Copy and save that email.. Click on the link to confirm your permission.
25. When you want to send an email, you'll find on the top of the "compose" page, a drop down menu where you can choose which email address you want shown on your outgoing email.
26. Now... all emails sent to your new email identity/address will automatically be forwarded to your original/primary email address. You will be able to respond to those emails, file them away or do whatever you want within your primary email acct.
27. For all intent and purpose, as long as you want to keep it this way, you will never have to sign-in to your second email identity/address.
28. If, however, you want to only forward some of your emails, set up filters instead.
29. Admob was purchased by Google

30. Write down the name and password, then put the paper in a fire-proof box.
31. Edit the AndroidManifest.xml file to add this below the <application <activity starting tag:

    	android:name="com.google.ads.adActivity"
    	android:configChanges="keyboard|keyboardHidden|orientation"
    

32. Edit the main.xml within res/layout folder to add this below the <LinearLayout> starting tag:

    <LinearLayout ...
    	xmls:ads="http://schemas.android.com/apk/lib/com.google.ads"
    

33. Edit the main.xml within res/layout folder to add this above the last </LinearLayout> ending tag:

    <com.google.ads.AdView android:id=@+id/adView"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    ads:adUnitId="abcdefg12345"
    ads:adSize="BANNER"
    ads:loadAdOnCreate="true" />
    

34. update the adUnitId value specific to your organization.
35. Edit your Java code under src folder to refresh the ad:

    AdView ad = (AdView) findViewById(R.id.adView);
    

Other Ads in Apps

CAUTION: Some users avoid apps that serve ads because all (current) ad insertion companies capture information about users, without revealing the source code being inserted onto apps.

Microlets

adwhirl serves ads from several sources, not just Google Adwords.

TIP: Rather than offering "PRO" versions which contain no ads in stores (which take their cut), some apps opt for in-app purchases which disable ads. But stores have struck back and disallowed such practices.

See http://www.mobisoftinfotech.com/blog/iphone/pricing-strategies-for-ios-android-apps/

In-App Purchases

Most games make money by getting users to buy more levels of play. For example iPhone app Penultimate capture scribbles like on writing paper offers enhancements to mimic various papers: Time & Tasks Paper, Games, Design, Music Paper, Young Writers Paper, Photo Album Paper. FancyWidgets Unlocker for Fancy Widgets free unlocks clock features.

TIP: Provide a choice of several major payment processors to accept payments into your apps. Many hate one or the other processors and would not buy through certain ones. This is due to the servicers not providing phone numbers to their employees, and thus slow responses.

LIB: PayPal's Mobile Payments Library (MPL) from X.com website asks your users to log in and transfer money from their PayPal account to your Premier or Business account at PayPal.

BLAH: This does not allow credit card checkout (where no PayPal account is needed).

The PayPal_MPL.jar of 9/22/2011 is 414,731 bytes.

LIB: PayPal's Mobile Express Checkout Library (MECL) occurs in a browser or webview working with Paypal's Express Checkout on your website.

Amazon Payments

Google Checkout

Google Wallet makes use of NFC-capable phones.

Many people

LIB: AndroidBillingLibrary on Github from robotmedia

SDK: Monetize apps by enabling users to make payments (via PayPal, Premium SMS billing, MOLPoints, etc.), using the SDK from payment aggregator MoVend.

One potential workaround is to build in-app surveys to retrieve data from users.