title: Need clarity on implementing a subscription app
body: <p>I've developed an Android app and need clarity on what is required to offer it, via Google Play Store, as a subscription app (i.e. offer use of the app for a monthly fee). For now, no in-app purchases or in-app subscriptions are planned; the only subscription is for use of the app itself. All of the documentation I've read about subscriptions from the Google Play Store seems only to discuss in-app subscriptions.<br>
  <strong>My questions:</strong><br>
  1) Is an overall app subscription treated/processed the same as an in-app subscription (i.e. via the app)?<br>
  2) If not, what portions of the Google documentation/guides on subscriptions do I implement? Everything that isn't expressly mentioned as being for in-app subscriptions/purchases?<br>
  3) Do I need a back-end server to manage/track app subscription info, or can subscriptions at the app level be managed via Google Play Console?<br>
  4) Is there a guide/example/tutorial somewhere that clearly explains how to implement what seems like a basic solution, a subscription app with no in-app purchases?  </p>
  
  <p><em>Examples of what I found during research:</em><br>
  <a href="https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/140504" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Create a subscription - Play Console Help</a> indicates:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Create a subscription</p>
    
    <p>Using Google Play Billing, you can offer <strong>in-app products</strong> that charge users for content or services on a recurring basis, known as subscriptions. Subscriptions can include items like a collection of apps, games, or other <strong>content for a recurring fee within your app</strong> on Google Play.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>In Google Play Console, subscriptions are only mentioned (from what I can see) under Store presence-><strong>In App Products</strong>->Subscriptions</p>
  
  <p>I reviewed other questions on SO related to subscriptions, but virtually all appear to be focused on in-app subscriptions. One exception was <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51633707/implementing-a-yearly-subscription">Implementing a Yearly Subscription</a>. Per the answer from GNUzilla, I understand the need to create a payment profile in Play Console. The second part of GNUzilla's answer references the now deprecated AIDL interface, so I instead reviewed the guide page for its replacement, <a href="https://developer.android.com/google/play/billing/billing_library_overview" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Use the Google Play Billing Library | Android Developers</a>. However, this also appears focused on in-app subscriptions. For example,</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Enable the purchase of an <strong>in-app product</strong></p>
    
    <p>...</p>
    
    <p>To start a <strong>purchase request from your app</strong>, call the launchBillingFlow() method from the UI thread. Pass a reference to a BillingFlowParams object containing the relevant data to complete the purchase, such as the product ID (skuId) of the item and product type (SkuType.INAPP for a one-time product or SkuType.SUBS for a subscription).</p>
  </blockquote>