u/No_Sea6761

I’m an Android app developer based in India and publish apps on Google Play.

Google pays me the revenue generated from my apps. My users are from multiple countries, but the payment/invoice comes from Google.

I use IDFC FIRST Bank for receiving these payments.

My question is specifically about EDF (Export Declaration Form):

Do I need to file an EDF for these Google Play payments?

If yes, how does it work when Google is the payer rather than the individual overseas customers? Do I need to file an EDF for every payment/invoice, or is there some other process?

Would appreciate advice from Indian developers who are already receiving Google Play revenue.

I’m planning to do another 5-day fast. The last time I made it to around 108 hours, but towards the end I started feeling pretty dizzy.

I only had water during that fast — no electrolytes, juice, salt, etc.

I’ve seen people suggest electrolytes or small amounts of juice during longer fasts, but I’m curious about people’s actual experience:

\- Does adding electrolytes make a noticeable difference?

\- Is juice useful, or does it defeat the purpose of a water fast?

\- What did you personally use during a 4–5 day fast?

\- Did anyone experience dizziness even with electrolytes?

Not looking for a “fasting is good/bad” debate — mainly interested in practical experiences from people who have actually done longer fasts.

Hey everyone,

I’m facing a frustrating issue with an Android app using Firebase Authentication and Firestore.

The app works perfectly in the development/debug environment, but after uploading it to the Google Play Store, the downloaded production version fails during Google authentication and we repeatedly get:

ApiException: 12501

Things we have already tried:

• Added the SHA-1 fingerprints in Firebase
• Added the relevant release/Play Store signing fingerprints
• Updated google-services.json
• Updated the backend Firebase service account configuration
• Verified that Firebase Authentication / Google Sign-In is enabled
• Rebuilt and uploaded the app again

But the Play Store version is still not working and we're getting the same 12501 error.

What’s confusing is that the development version works fine.

Has anyone else recently run into ApiException: 12501 with Firebase Google Sign-In specifically on the Play Store release?

If you’ve fixed this before, what ended up being the issue? Any pointers on what else we should check would be greatly appreciated.

I run a paid Android app. We originally had a simple monthly subscription.

We switched to a credit/usage-based model because some users were using way more than others, and the flat subscription felt underpriced.

Now:

• Occasional users pay less
• Heavy users pay more
• Pricing is more “fair” on paper

But since the change, sales have dropped hard and we’re getting 1-star reviews saying it’s too expensive.

I’m now thinking of offering both:

1) Monthly subscription (with fair usage limit)
2) Pay-as-you-go credits

But I’m worried it’ll just confuse users or cannibalize revenue.

For those who’ve dealt with pricing changes:

Would you run both models, or stick to usage-based and tweak pricing?

I've been in tech for years (software, automation, AI, etc.), but lately I've been seriously considering getting into real estate.

Not because I think I'm going to "disrupt the industry" or anything. I just think there's a lot of potential, and I also see a lot of gaps where technology can make things easier.

The only thing I'm struggling with is the entry path.

Most advice seems to be "start selling," cold calling, chasing leads, networking 24/7. I get that sales is a huge part of the business, and I'm willing to learn it. But I also feel like I'd be wasting my strongest skill set if I ignored my technical background completely.

If you were in my position, would you:

Jump straight into sales?

Find a brokerage where you could contribute with tech/automation while learning sales?

Build tools or systems first and let that open doors?

I'm not looking for shortcuts or trying to avoid the work.

I just want to play to my strengths while learning the industry properly.

Curious to hear from people who've made a similar switch or from agents who work with tech-savvy people. What would you do?

I'm a solo Android developer and don't really have the budget or resources for a dedicated QA team or a large pool of beta testers.

Most of the time, I test the app myself on a couple of devices, write unit tests where I can, and do phased rollouts. But I'm still worried about device-specific issues, edge cases, and bugs that only appear in real-world usage.

A recent release reminded me that no matter how much I test, users can still find problems I never encountered.

I'm curious how other indie developers handle testing before releasing to production.

• Do you rely mostly on internal testing, closed testing, or open beta?
• How many devices do you test on?
• Do you use Firebase Test Lab or any other cloud device testing service?
• How much automated testing do you have (unit/UI/instrumentation)?
• Do you pay for testers, or do you have a community that helps?
• Any workflow or checklist that has significantly reduced production bugs?

I'd especially love to hear from solo developers or very small teams. What has worked well for you, and what mistakes have you learned from?

I'm looking for advice from anyone who has dealt with this during Google Play review.

My app uses Firebase Authentication with Google Sign-In only. There is no email/password login.

I received the following rejection:

"App content is restricted by a paywall. Your app does not allow access to the full in-app experience without a subscription, payment, or in-app currency. Provide a test account with an active subscription, sufficient credits, or provide a way to bypass all payment gates in the Sign in details section of the Play Console."

The problem is that with Google Sign-In, I can't simply provide a username and password like a normal test account.

For those who have successfully passed review:

How did you provide reviewers access when using Google Sign-In

only?

Did you create a special Google account for reviewers?

Did you whitelist a reviewer account on your backend and automatically unlock premium features?

Did you temporarily add an email/password login just for Play review?

Is there another approach that Google Play reviewers expect?

I'd appreciate hearing what actually worked for you and was accepted by Google Play.

Thanks!

We have a paid app that has been generating decent revenue for a while. The funny thing is, I never really knew whether people actually loved it. We weren't collecting much user feedback, so I assumed people were simply using it because it got the job done.

Today we released an update.

It had a critical bug.

Within hours, our support inbox started filling up. The Play Store reviews started coming in. At first I expected angry messages (and there were a few), but something unexpected happened.

Many users explained why they use the app, how it fits into their daily workflow, and why they needed it to work. Some even took the time to help us troubleshoot instead of just asking for a refund.

As stressful as today was, it taught me three lessons:

1. If someone is paying for your app, they probably care about it more than you realize. Silence doesn't mean users don't value your product.
2. Don't ship major releases on a weekend. Our entire team was off, which made responding and fixing the issue much slower than it should have been.
3. Use staged rollouts. Pushing an update to 100% of users immediately was a mistake. A gradual rollout would have limited the impact and given us time to catch the issue.

Today was expensive, stressful, and humbling—but it also reminded me that there are real people relying on the software we build.

Hi everyone,

I recently obtained my Import Export Code (IEC) in India. I want to make sure I'm fully compliant from the beginning and don't end up paying penalties later because I missed some filing or regulatory requirement.

Apart from getting the IEC, what other compliances should I be aware of?

For example:

• Is there any periodic filing related to the IEC itself?
• Are there annual or monthly compliance requirements?
• What are the GST implications for imports and exports?
• Do I need to register with any other authorities depending on the products I trade?
• Are there RBI/FEMA or DGFT compliances I should know about?
• What records and documents should I maintain?
• Any common mistakes first-time importers/exporters make that lead to notices or penalties?

I'm a GST-registered business in India, and I want to set things up correctly from day one.

I'd really appreciate a compliance checklist or advice from people who have been importing/exporting for a while.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I run a GST-registered software firm in India and publish apps on Google Play.

We receive two types of payments from Google:

1. Revenue generated from Indian users.
2. Revenue generated from users outside India.

My understanding is that income from foreign customers may qualify as export of services and may not attract GST (subject to applicable conditions), while domestic income is taxable.

The problem is that Google sends consolidated payout reports, and I'm struggling to understand how to accurately differentiate Indian revenue from foreign revenue for GST filing.

Has anyone here dealt with this? How do you identify and segregate domestic vs international earnings? Do you rely on Google Play financial reports, payment reports, or some other documentation?

If you're a CA or app developer who has handled this before, I'd really appreciate your guidance.

Thanks in advance!

After nearly a decade of running a business and making thousands of mistakes, I've realised something that changed how I think about leadership.

Your primary job as a business owner is not to do everything yourself.

Your job is to:

• Hire smart people.
• Give them a clear goal.
• Make sure everyone is moving toward that goal.

Don't micromanage every decision. If you've hired capable people, they'll often figure out solutions that you wouldn't have thought of yourself.

Of course, people will drift off course or get distracted. That's normal. Your role is to bring them back to the objective, remove obstacles, and keep everyone aligned.

Treat your team with respect. Laugh with them. Build relationships.

But don't let people take advantage of your kindness or take your company for granted.

Be uncompromising when it comes to standards and culture. Those two things define your business far more than any process or SOP.

I'm not some wildly successful billionaire founder. I'm just someone who's spent almost ten years learning lessons the hard way and making more mistakes than I can count.

We recently launched an app on the Play Store and realized that one of our competitors already has a product with a very similar name.

To avoid potential trademark, branding, or customer confusion issues down the road, we're considering renaming our app from X to Y. Fortunately, the app is still very new and has fewer than 10 downloads, so now seems like the best time to make the change.

For those who have gone through this before:

• What's the process of renaming an app after launch?
• Are there any downsides to changing the app name early?
• Does it affect rankings, reviews, installs, or anything else we should be aware of?
• Would you recommend changing only the store listing name, or also the package name if we're still at such an early stage?

Any advice or lessons learned would be appreciated.

After months of back-and-forth, re-submissions, waiting, and frustration with BillDesk approvals for Google Play, our application finally got approved 🎉

Now I’m trying to understand the actual next step from people who’ve already gone through this process:

• Which “door” do I knock on now to receive the money in our bank account?
• Does BillDesk automatically start settlements after approval?
• Is there any additional activation, agreement, or payout setup pending?
• How do settlement cycles usually work in India for Play Store purchases?

Also, our firm is GST registered.

I’m confused about the taxation side too:

• Users already pay GST on Play Store purchases
• Google/BillDesk deduct their commissions/fees
• But do we additionally have to pay 18% GST on the revenue we receive, or is GST already handled in the billing flow?

Would really appreciate guidance from Indian Android developers or founders who’ve already crossed this stage. This process has been way more complicated than expected 😅

Built an Android app, spent months developing it, and now the payment side is draining all the energy.

Google takes a cut on every in-app purchase and controls the entire billing flow. Fine. But then Indian payment gateway onboarding is another nightmare.

Went with BillDesk, completed physical verification, answered endless clarifications… and now complete silence. Feels worse than dealing with a government office.

Meanwhile, teams need salaries, servers cost money, and revenue is stuck behind approvals.

I even tried contacting RBI after seeing others suggest it, but they said first raise a complaint with the entity and wait 30 days before escalation.

At this point I’m seriously considering moving away from Google billing and going self-managed just so the business can function normally.

How did you speed up payment gateway onboarding?

I recently posted on LinkedIn about a software requirement, and within hours my phone started blowing up with sales calls.

What’s confusing:

• I didn’t share my phone number in the post
• One of the numbers they called isn’t even on my LinkedIn profile
• Multiple vendors somehow reached me almost instantly

I’m trying to understand how this actually works:

• Are people scraping LinkedIn posts and then using external databases to find contact details?
• Is my number just sitting in some data broker database somewhere?
• How are they matching my profile to phone numbers so quickly?

I always thought avoiding posting your number publicly was enough, but clearly that’s not the case.

Would really appreciate insights from people in sales, lead gen, or data — how does this system actually work?

Also, what’s the practical way to avoid this without missing genuine opportunities?

This caught me off guard, not gonna lie.