Google: Android Market now has in-app billing

Applications such as 'Tap Tap Revenge' by Disney Mobile and 'Comics' by ComiXology are amongst the first to support in-application purchases in Google's Android Market. (Google)

Google’s Eric Chu has announced on an official Android developer blog that Google’s Android Market now supports in-application purchases.

The announcement brings the online store on par with competitors such as Apple’s AppStore and Microsoft’s Windows 7 Marketplace, both of which already support various forms of in-app micro-transactions.

Expanding Android Market’s billing and merchandizing capabilities has been a priority for Google since 2010. On Feb. 2 they released the tools to developers, enabling them to tap into the new billing models.

“In-app Billing gives you more ways to monetize your apps with try-and-buy, virtual goods, upgrades, and other billing models. If you aren’t yet familiar with In-app Billing, we encourage you to learn more about it,” said Chu in a blog post to Android Developers.

Presently, only a handful of applications such as Tap Tap Revenge, Comics, Challenge HD and Dungeon Defenders: FW Deluxe support the new features. However, it’s anticipated that the expanded flexibility of billing models for developers will entice greater usage of the new features over the course of 2011 and beyond.