Retain users with Google Play Points

Enrollment in the Google Play Points program is available to all Games. Go to the Play Points page ( Monetize with Play> Products> Play Points) to configure your promotions.

Before you begin:

• Before you can set up promotions, the developer account owner must accept the Google Play Points Terms of Service. The owner only needs to accept the terms once per developer account.

• You must have the Manage store presence permission to manage promotions.

• There can only be up to one submitted or live Play Points promotion for each product and country.

• You can have up to 10 offers (coupons or product promotions for selected games) per country at a time. If you exceed these limits and attempt to create more offers, you'll be unable to do so.

• You can create one-time product promotions, subject to review and approval. These promotions offer additional reach and boost user engagement and excitement. Furthermore, Play Points exclusive promotions make your app eligible for more Google-funded promotions.

  • Note: Play Points product promotions are available only for games in the Google Play Games Level Up+ program.

What are developer-created Play Points promotions?

Developers can create Play Points promotions that users can redeem in exchange for points. Featured on the Usetab, these promotions increase app exposure, encourage users to re-invest their points, and typically lead to increased retention of monetized users.

There are two types of developer-created promotions:

• One-time product promotions: Points are exchanged for an in-game item. We recommend that this item is exclusive to Play Points users as an extra incentive to engage with the program, which will also make your app eligible for more rewarding Google-funded promotions. Create a one-time product promotion .
  Note: Play Points product promotions are available only for games in the Google Play Games Level Up+ program.

• Coupon promotions: Points are exchanged for a coupon that provides a discount on any purchase in your app or game above the value of the coupon. For example, a $2 coupon used on a $10 purchase would cost your users $8. Create a coupon promotion .

Limited vs unlimited promotions

• Unlimited promotionscan be redeemed any number of times before the specified end date. They must be active for at least 180 days.

• Limited promotionscan be redeemed a fixed number of times per user and per country/region and must be active for less than 180 days.

  • You'll need to set a maximum quantity for both the user/region and per user.

  • On Google Play, these promotions will be labeled "limited quantity" and "running low" as they approach their set redemption limit.

Create a coupon promotion

1. Open Play Console and go to the Play Points page ( Monetize with Play> Products> Play Points).

   • In the Coupon promotionssection, select Create promotion.

2. Enter a promotion name.

   • This should be a unique name that you can use to easily identify each promotion that you have set up. This isn't shown to users on Google Play and can't be changed after the promotion is created.

   • Promotion names show up in the promotions Overviewpage, and Promotion detailspage.

3. Click + Country/region, select the locations you want to make your promotion available, and click Apply.

   • We recommend targeting promotions to multiple countries/regions to reduce the number of promotions you need to manage.

     • You cannot set up two promotions targeting the same country/region with the same coupon value.

   • You can only select countries/regions where your app is distributed (in production or open test).

4. Choose your promotion type by selecting Limitedor Unlimitedand define your promotion details.

5. Choose the start date and end date for your promotion.

   • Unlimited promotions must run for a minimum of 180 days.

   • Limited promotions have a duration of 60–179 days and their end date can't be extended.

   • Promotions start at 12.00 a.m. and end at 11.59 p.m. on the start and end date using the time zone of the country or region that the user is based in.

6. Choose the target discount rate for the promotion.

   • The discount rate is applied to the coupon value as an additional user incentive for participating in the program. The exact discount rate may vary due to country/region-specific points rounding.

   • Allow discount rates may differ, based on the countries/regions that you select.

7. Select the value of the coupon.

   • Price tiers will be disabled if you do not have at least one product worth more than the coupon promotion value in all targeted countries.

8. Click Submit once you have reviewed your promotion settings; you won’t be able to edit it after submission.

   • You can stop live promotions with a duration of at least 180 days through Play Console. You can stop live promotions with a duration of under 180 days by contacting the support address listed on the Play Points page. 

User experience guidelines for one-time product promotions

To ensure a smooth user experience after users exchange their points for your one-time product promotions, your app must meet the guidelines below before submitting promotions for review. Also, you can test your Play Points product promotions using promo codes, learn more .

If your promotion does not meet these guidelines, it may be rejected. In this case, you’ll receive a notification and will need to resolve any issues before resubmitting the promotion.

Ensure the product is available in production

To evaluate your product redemption experience, the product must be available in your app’s latest production release, or open test release, if your app is not yet distributed to production.

Ensure availability without a restart

Users may already have your app open before exchanging their points for the product on Google Play. Your app should check for a new product without requiring a restart. Visit the Android Developers site for more information on how to fetch products.

Clearly communicate product redemptions

Users may already have your app open before exchanging their points for the product on Google Play. Your app should check for a new product without requiring a restart. Visit the Android Developers site for more information on how to communicate out-of-app purchases.

Provide descriptive product metadata

The product title and description should be translated in the markets where your promotion is available. We recommend using a title with a maximum of 20 characters.

The product icon must:

• Match the graphics used to represent the item in the app or game
• Be unique to each product
• Not contain any textual descriptions, promotional badges, or branding badges

Create a new one-time product for your Play Points promotion

Follow the requirements outlined below:

Product name

• Use a name that is easily understood by users and Play Points members. Use a clear name to distinguish between similar items that have different functions in a game, such as paid items and free items.
• Consider using different names for products when they appear in Play Console and when they appear in your app after being purchased with Play Points:
  • When setting up your product in Play Console, make sure that the name doesn't mention Google, Play or Play Points. Similarly, don't reference the name of your app. The Play Points program will automatically display your product promotion under your app header.
  • In your app, we recommend that the name references Google Play Points so that users can easily understand where the item originated. Here's an example of product naming for 50 gems:
• For Play Console and Play Points: "50 gems"
• In your app: "50 gems – from Play Points"
• Display names can be up to 55 characters but we recommend that you use 20 characters or less. This way it’s displayed on a single line in the Google Play app.
• Don't include 'Google Play Points' in your product or promotions.
• Avoid using unnecessary characters, including: '[]', '()', '*', '<>', '{}', '_'.

Description

• Provide a product description to clarify the benefits and value of the item.
• Descriptions can be 200 characters or less (including spaces).

Exclusive to Play Points

• You can make your product available only in Google Play Points, enhancing user engagement and excitement.
• Limited and exclusive to Play Points products are not required with a discount.
• Product price information cannot be edited while the product is used in an Active Promotion.

Icons

• Your product or promotion requires a unique icon that best represents its content.
• If the item exists in your game, the icon should use the same visual used in the game.
• Artwork should be distinct to help users recognize that they are different items. This is especially true when a developer is submitting multiple items for an individual game.

Uploading icons

You can upload your icons in Play Console .

You can check the preview of your icon after it’s uploaded and you can then submit it to your Play Points promotion. Promotional artwork is reviewed during pre-publishing checks by Google. If the artwork does not pass the product requirements, your promotion will be rejected. Note: Icons for coupon promotions are automatically generated by Google.

After an artwork is approved, Google generates a 1x mini card, 2x mini card and a hexagon version of your icon.

Image requirements:

• Image size: 512px by 512px (min) to 1080px by 1080px (max)
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Main artworks should be centred and sized between ~255px by ~255px (min) and ~537px by ~537px (max)
• File type: 32-bit PNG
• Resolution: 72 PPI
• Color space: sRGB
• Max file size: Up to 8 MB

Icon requirements

Main artwork

• Between ~255 by ~255 (minimum) and ~537 by ~537 (maximum)
• The safe zone is where the main artwork in your icon should be placed. Stay within the recommended bounds to prevent any unnecessary cropping of your artwork.Background
  • Between 512 by 512 (minimum) and 1080 by 1080 (maximum)
  • We recommend a simple pattern or solid color for the background so that the icon is easy to read.

Background

• Between 512 by 512(minimum) and 1080 by 1080 (maximum)
• We recommend a simple pattern or solid color for the background so the icon is easy to read.  

View an example

Icon tips

Use the recommended safe zone (255 x 255) for the size of the artwork. Don't use artwork that is cropped by more than 10%. Note that you can still crop your artwork but it should not be more than 10%.

View an example

Use a background that will complement your artwork. Avoid patterns with busy backgrounds, or backgrounds with the same color as your icon.   

View an example

Use a background that has a different tone and color that contrasts with your icon. Avoid white borders or backgrounds since they are not visible.   

View an example

Use simple patterns to highlight your icon. Busy patterns tend to take the focus away from your icon.  

View an example

Avoid using text and numbers, promotional callouts and branding. 

View an example

Don’t use low-resolution image content and avoid using images that are too small. 

View an example

View examples of Google-generated versions

1x mini card

2x mini card

Hexagonal icon

For more details on how to create a product , read here.