I know how to handle consumable items in Google Play from the Android app itself. That part works fine and I can process those purchases directly in my mobile application.
But now I need to move this logic to my backend server for better security and control. I looked into the Google Play Developer API but I’m not seeing clear documentation on how to consume purchases from the server side. The API seems to let me verify purchases but not actually consume them.
Has anyone figured out how to consume Google Play in-app purchases from a backend server instead of doing it client-side? I want to make sure users can’t bypass the consumption process by tampering with the app.
interesting challenge you’re facing there! i’m curious though - what specific security risks are you trying to mitigate by moving consumption server-side? are you worried about users exploiting rooted devices or something else? asking cuz the hybrid approach sam mentioned might actually be more secure than you think.
hey, yeah, from what i’ve seen, google’s api handles verify but not the actual consume. i use a two-step process: verify on server, then let the app handle the consume part. it feels safer than just doing it all on the client.
After wrestling with this exact issue for months, I discovered that Google intentionally restricts consumption to client-side operations only. The Play Developer API provides purchase verification and subscription management capabilities, but consumption must occur within the app itself through the billing library. This design choice forces a hybrid architecture where your server validates the purchase token and determines whether consumption should proceed, then signals the client to perform the actual consumption. I implemented a secure flow where my backend generates a consumption authorization token after validation, which the client must present to complete the process. This prevents unauthorized consumption while maintaining Google’s required client-side execution model.