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Disclaimer: Helpful document for the coder.

Objective

Verify In-App purchase/subscription from Google Play Store and Apple Store

Requirements

1. Apple IAP Verification: Apple shared secret
2. Google IAP Verification: Service Account Key file (JSON file)
3. Key factors: Expertise & Patience 

RESTful APIs

Purchase subscription/product

This will be the first API call from the mobile app to send the purchase details to the backend.

Parameters
item_id	string Subscription package or Product package.
receipt	string iPhone should pass the receipt_data and the Android should pass the purchase_token
platform	string Either “google” or “apple”
is_renewable	int Optional parameter for Android only. iPhone devices can skip this parameter. 1 = True, 0 = False         1 indicates that it’s a subscription package         0 indicates that it’s a product package

Now, let’s understand the flow by following the sequence diagram

 

Verify Purchase

This will be another API call from the mobile app to verify the purchase period and the Backend is checking this on daily basis with the CRON (The CRON is a software utility, offered by a Linux-like operating system that automates the scheduled task at a predetermined time.)

 

Now, let’s understand the flow by following the sequence diagram:

Verify on Google

When the “platform” is “google”, the backend needs to verify the purchase token stored in the key “receipt”. To do so, the backend team needs the Service Account JSON file to communicate with the Google Play Developer API. To get the purchased details and to verify it, you have to check, if you are checking for product purchase or subscription purchase.

Requirements:

• Service Account JSON file | How to get one? Please refer to this document.
• Authorization Scope: Requires the following OAuth scope to verify purchases.products or purchases.subscriptions:
  • URL: http://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token
  • Scope: http://www.googleapis.com/auth/androidpublisher
  • Check this blog to know how to get an access token.

 

purchases.products

Note: The URL uses gRPC Transcoding syntax. 

Checks the purchase and consumption status of an in-app item.

HTTP request
GET

 

purchases.subscriptions

Checks whether a user's subscription purchase is valid and returns its expiry time.

Parameters
packageName	string The package name of the application the in-app product was sold in (for example, 'com.devdigital.app').
productId	string The package name of the application the in-app product was sold in (e.g., 'com.devdigital.app.tier1.package1').
subscriptionId	string The purchase subscription id (e.g., 'com.devdigital.app.tier1.monthly')
purchaseToken	string The purchase token stored in the database by the user
accessToken	string The access token generated with OAuth Steps

This is what subscription response looks like, 

Verify on Apple

When the “platform” is “apple”, the backend needs to verify the receipt-data stored in the key “receipt”.

Requirements:

• Apple Shared Secret | How to get one? Please refer to this document

 

verifyReceipt

Send a receipt to the App Store for verification HTTP requests.

HTTP request 
Sandbox URL: http://sandbox.itunes.apple.com/verifyReceipt
Production URL: http://buy.itunes.apple.com/verifyReceipt 
Method: POST 
HTTP Body: requestBody
Response Codes: 
200 - responseBody

References

Apple IAP verification:

1. Sandbox API endpoint: http://sandbox.itunes.apple.com/verifyReceipt
2. Production API endpoint:  http://buy.itunes.apple.com/verifyReceipt

Google IAP verification:

1. OAuth URL: http://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token
2. Scope: http://www.googleapis.com/auth/androidpublisher
3. Android Product Purchase
   • Here service account access token should be derived from the OAuth URL and Scope. The service account key file (.json) have all the necessary details.
4. Android Subscription Purchase

more...

• Method: purchases.products.get | Google Play Developer API | Google Developers
• Method: purchases.subscriptions.get | Google Play Developer API | Google Developers
• http://developer.apple.com/library/content/releasenotes/General/ValidateAppStoreReceipt/Chapters/ValidateRemotely.html