Windows Phone In-app purchase outside the app?

0
votes

Is it possible to purchase an in-app product outside the app? The scenario is that we would like to offer two in-app products:

  • Premium
  • Premium Free

Both of the products provide the same features, but the "Premium Free" is limited to few selected users. We don't want that the other users are able to purchase the "Premium Free" product.

If the app doesn't provide the purchase link to the "Premium Free" product, is it possible for the users to somehow purchase that product?

Update:

The idea is to provide both the "Premium" and "Premium Free" through the app. But "Premium Free" is limited to users who provide a correct code. So:

  1. App shows page "Get premium pack"
  2. The page includes a coupon code field
  3. If user provides coupon code, she is directed to "Premium Free" product (app's in-app product on the Windows Phone Store).
  4. If no coupon code is provided, user is taken to "Premium" product (app's in-app product on the Windows Phone Store).

The fear is that users find a way to acquire "Premium Free" pack without the coupon code. From outside the app. For example, if the product has a direct link (URL, I don't know if in-app product's have them) on Store and the user opens the link with phone, she can get the product "outside" the app.

The steps described above should be OK if the only way to access an in-app product is through the app.

1
windows-phone-8

1 Answers

1
votes

It's not possible to do what you've described (make an IAP outside an app) but you could do something very similar.

Rather than trying to offer something to certain users outside the app, you could, instead, have something within the app that is only available to certain users.
There is nothing in the marketplace certification guidelines that stop you from implementing this. Obviously how this is implemented will be dependent upon your app. If the app in question allows (or requires) users to log in then a setting could be added to the account details to control which IAP options are made available. If the app in question doesn't support or have user accounts you'll need to indicate the special options are available to them. One such option may be to allow entry of an unlock code somewhere in the app which could allow access to the special IAP options. Of course if the aim is to offer free items via IAP you could just make them available in the app when the unlock code is entered.

Update No, products defined for IAP cannot be purchased outside your app. Originally I thought the question was hoe to do it.