Since we love to stream content from Netflix on our phones, it would only make sense that we would be able to pay for the service directly from the app as well. The company updated its app for iOS back in September to allow members to pay for their subscription via iTunes, but Android users have been missing out on in-app subscriptions - well, up until now.
Android users will soon be able to pay for the service in the app with their Google Play account.
Netflix revealed the news on its app page in the Google Play Store, and confirmed that the in-app billing feature for Android will roll out "over the next several weeks" in a statement to Variety.
The Netflix spokesperson also said that the the in-app feature will only be available to a "segment of members in supported regions," so it is not yet known how wide this rollout will be.
Adding Google Play as a billing option means that new customers can sign up for the service directly from their Android smartphone. This could help the streaming service gain a significant amount of new customers since Android is the dominant OS used around the world.
This also gives customers more choices when it comes to how they pay for the service. They might want to opt to go the Google Play route so that they limit the amount of companies that have access to their billing info in case of a hack. Of course, this means you would have to have your Google Play account set up with your credit card info stored.
But Android users will also be able to pay for their Netflix accounts with Google Play gift cards that are sold at drug stores and retailers like Target and Walmart, and can also be emailed as a gift.
Adding in-app billing means that Netflix will take a price cut. Adding this billing option means that Google will take a percentage of subscription fees that come directly from the app. Google and Apple are believed to take about 30 percent of the sale.
Still, having more people subscribe via their Android devices could bring in more business, especially since the streaming service in now available in 130 countries.
Netflix for Android is available to download for free from the Google Play Store.
