Google introduces ‘ask someone else to pay’ button on Play Store for Indian users; How it works

Google has wrapped up its annual I/O Developer Conference where it unveiled a host of cutting-edge tools for application developers. During the 30-minute presentation on the latest developments in Google Play, the company revealed a brand new “Ask someone else to pay” payment button.

The new Google Play Store feature is compatible with all apps using Google Play’s in-app purchases system, according to a recent article published by Android Authority.

To complete the transaction, click the button to generate a payment link that you can share with the other party.

When a user clicks the button, they are informed that the person making the payment needs to know their full email address, can view the item they are purchasing, and can also request a refund.

The payment link can be shared via the Android share sheet, and once opened, the recipient has 24 hours to complete the transaction before it automatically expires.

According to reports, the feature will first be available to Indian users; however, it is unclear if and when the service will be expanded to other markets.

Notably, the new Google Play feature does not require any additional work from app developers.

In the past, users could share apps by creating a Family Group or Family Library on Google Play.

The new Ask Someone Else to Pay feature allows users to ask someone outside of their Google family to purchase on their behalf.

According to Android Authority, Google calls it “a fantastic way to give a gift or pay on behalf of a relative or friend.”

This new feature isn’t the only big billing-related change Google introduced last week.

Android Authority’s report states that the company allowed householders to make “purchases for child accounts” on non-Android devices using web links.

To make these purchases, heads of household can use any payment method, including gift cards, that they have saved on their Google Payments profile.

Additionally, Google reportedly more than doubled the price cap for apps on the Play Store, changed price ranges to account for exchange rate fluctuations, added new badges to represent popular products, and changed how Customers in Brazil, France, Italy and Spain pay long-term subscriptions.