Glossary · Billing
What is proration on Google Play?
Proration (Google Play replacement modes)
Proration credits the unused part of a paid subscription period when a customer changes plan. On Google Play you choose the effect with a replacement mode: with time proration, charge prorated price, charge full price, without proration, or deferred. The mode decides when the change starts and what the customer pays at once.
Google Play documents five modes for changing a subscription. WITH_TIME_PRORATION is the default: the change is immediate and the remaining value is turned into time on the new plan, which moves the next billing date. CHARGE_PRORATED_PRICE upgrades immediately, keeps the billing date and charges the price difference for the rest of the period. CHARGE_FULL_PRICE changes immediately and charges the full new price. WITHOUT_PRORATION changes immediately and charges the new price at the next renewal. DEFERRED changes only when the subscription renews.
Pick CHARGE_PRORATED_PRICE or WITH_TIME_PRORATION for upgrades to a higher tier, CHARGE_FULL_PRICE when moving from a shorter to a longer billing period, and DEFERRED for downgrades. You can set the default in Play Console and override it per purchase. On the App Store you do not choose: Apple prorates an upgrade with a refund and applies a downgrade at the next renewal.
A deferred change creates a new purchase straight away, with the old item set to expire at the end of the current period. Acknowledge that new purchase as you do any other. RevenueDot reports an applied change, or a change scheduled for the next renewal, as a PRODUCT_CHANGE event.
Sources: Android Developers: Subscriptions · Apple: subtype
FAQ
Proration (Google Play replacement modes): questions people ask
Which replacement mode is the default on Google Play?
With time proration: the change is immediate, and the remaining time is credited toward the new plan by moving the next billing date.
Which mode should I use for a downgrade?
Deferred. The customer keeps what they paid for, and the lower plan starts at the next renewal.
Does the App Store have proration modes?
No. Apple fixes the behavior: an upgrade starts immediately with a prorated refund, and a downgrade starts at the next renewal.
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