Build Paystack Subscriptions in Android with Kotlin

If you distribute your app on the Google Play Store and sell digital subscriptions through it, Google requires you to use Google Play Billing for in-app purchases. Paystack subscriptions work best for:

• Apps distributed outside the Play Store (APK sideloading)
• Business/B2B apps
• Hybrid apps where the subscription is for a web service (which may qualify as an exemption)

For consumer apps on the Play Store with digital subscriptions, consult the Google Play policies before using Paystack for subscription billing. This guide is most applicable to non-Play Store distribution or B2B apps.

// viewmodel/SubscriptionViewModel.kt
import androidx.lifecycle.ViewModel
import androidx.lifecycle.viewModelScope
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableStateFlow
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.StateFlow
import kotlinx.coroutines.launch

data class SubscriptionStatus(
    val active: Boolean = false,
    val planName: String? = null,
    val nextBillingDate: String? = null,
    val subscriptionCode: String? = null,
    val loading: Boolean = true,
    val error: String? = null
)

class SubscriptionViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private val _status = MutableStateFlow(SubscriptionStatus())
    val status: StateFlow<SubscriptionStatus> = _status

    fun checkStatus(userEmail: String) {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            _status.value = SubscriptionStatus(loading = true)
            try {
                val result = RetrofitClient.subscriptionApi.getStatus(userEmail)
                _status.value = SubscriptionStatus(
                    active = result.active,
                    planName = result.planName,
                    nextBillingDate = result.nextBillingDate,
                    subscriptionCode = result.subscriptionCode,
                    loading = false
                )
            } catch (e: Exception) {
                _status.value = SubscriptionStatus(loading = false, error = e.message)
            }
        }
    }

    fun cancelSubscription(subscriptionCode: String, emailToken: String) {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            try {
                RetrofitClient.subscriptionApi.cancel(subscriptionCode, emailToken)
                _status.value = _status.value.copy(active = false)
            } catch (e: Exception) {
                _status.value = _status.value.copy(error = "Cancel failed: ${e.message}")
            }
        }
    }
}

// SubscriptionActivity.kt
import android.os.Bundle
import android.view.View
import android.widget.Button
import android.widget.TextView
import androidx.activity.viewModels
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import androidx.lifecycle.lifecycleScope
import kotlinx.coroutines.launch

class SubscriptionActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    private val viewModel: SubscriptionViewModel by viewModels()

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_subscription)

        val userEmail = intent.getStringExtra("email") ?: return finish()
        val statusText = findViewById<TextView>(R.id.statusText)
        val planText = findViewById<TextView>(R.id.planText)
        val nextBillingText = findViewById<TextView>(R.id.nextBillingText)
        val cancelButton = findViewById<Button>(R.id.cancelButton)
        val subscribeButton = findViewById<Button>(R.id.subscribeButton)

        lifecycleScope.launch {
            viewModel.status.collect { state ->
                if (state.loading) {
                    statusText.text = "Loading..."
                    return@collect
                }

                if (state.active) {
                    statusText.text = "Active"
                    planText.text = state.planName ?: "Unknown plan"
                    nextBillingText.text = "Next billing: ${state.nextBillingDate}"
                    cancelButton.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                    subscribeButton.visibility = View.GONE

                    cancelButton.setOnClickListener {
                        viewModel.cancelSubscription(
                            state.subscriptionCode ?: "",
                            getEmailToken()
                        )
                    }
                } else {
                    statusText.text = "No active subscription"
                    cancelButton.visibility = View.GONE
                    subscribeButton.visibility = View.VISIBLE

                    subscribeButton.setOnClickListener {
                        startPaymentActivity(userEmail)
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        viewModel.checkStatus(userEmail)
    }
}

This guide is part of the Paystack integration guides by language and framework series.

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