AI & TechnologyPlay Billing Library 7 Deprecated: How to Update to 8

If Play Console warns that your app uses an unsupported version of the Google Play Billing Library, version 7 is the likely cause: its deadline for new apps and updates was August 31, 2026, and Google says the extension it offered ran until November 1, 2026. Google says existing apps keep working, and new apps and updates must use a supported version. In my reading, an app still on version 7 can’t ship an update now that the extension has run out. For a Flutter app, that usually means a newer in_app_purchase or RevenueCat package, and possibly a newer Flutter.

The deadlines below come from Google’s Billing Library deprecation page and release notes, and the package versions from pub.dev and RevenueCat’s changelog, as listed in the sources. I checked each one on October 21, 2026.

Disclosure: App369 is my studio. I build and fix apps, including in-app purchases and subscriptions in Flutter, and the last section mentions what I sell. Google and RevenueCat don’t pay me for anything on this page.

The deadlines

Google gives every Billing Library version a two-year deprecation cycle. Its table:

Source: Google Play Billing Library version deprecation, last updated October 20, 2026.

Google’s FAQ also says:

• Existing apps still work. Unmaintained APKs don’t need updates. The rule applies to new apps and updates.
• The dependency check applies to APKs that use billing. Google says these dependencies only appear in APKs that require the com.android.vending.BILLING permission.
• The extension form is in Play Console. An app on an unsupported version gets a warning. Open its details on the Policy status page to find the form.

What changed in version 8

Version 8.0.0 was released on June 30, 2025. Per Google’s release notes, the changes most likely to break an older integration are:

Version 8 also added optional automatic service reconnection (enableAutoServiceReconnection()) and sub-response codes on launchBillingFlow(), such as PAYMENT_DECLINED_DUE_TO_INSUFFICIENT_FUNDS. In-app items are now called one-time products.

Flutter apps: which package versions include version 8

Two things to watch:

• in_app_purchase needs a recent Flutter. Versions up to 3.2.4 (June 4, 2026), the last ones on the old Android package, depended on in_app_purchase_android ^0.4.0, which used Billing Library 7.1.1. To get version 8 through Flutter’s own plugin, the app has to run on Flutter 3.38 or later. Flutter’s release archive dates 3.38.0 November 12, 2025. Every in_app_purchase_android release after 0.5.0 requires Flutter 3.44 or later, so on Flutter 3.38 to 3.43 pub can only use 0.5.0. My advice: if the app is on an older Flutter, plan the Flutter upgrade and the billing update as one job, because the upgrade can surface other build errors.
• RevenueCat warns about consumables. Its 9.0.0 notes say Billing Library 8 can no longer query expired subscriptions or consumed one-time products. If a lifetime purchase is set up as a consumable in the RevenueCat dashboard, RevenueCat will consume it, and users can’t restore it. RevenueCat says to set those products up as non-consumables.

What to do now

This section is my advice, not Google’s.

1. Find the version you ship. In a native app, check com.android.billingclient:billing in build.gradle. In Flutter, check in_app_purchase_android or purchases_flutter in pubspec.lock, and compare with the table above. The free Google Play deadline checker reads the billing line in your build.gradle in your browser and flags it against these dates.
2. Plan the update around version 8. Google’s extension for version 7 ended on November 1, 2026, so your next update has to ship version 8 or later.
3. Upgrade the package, then fix what broke. Look for the removed calls in the version 8 table. In Flutter, replace queryPurchaseHistory with queryPurchases.
4. Test purchases and restores before you ship. Use Play Console license testers to buy, cancel and restore each product type, especially one-time products and anything users expect to restore after reinstalling.
5. Check the manifest if the warning stays. Google says the merged AndroidManifest.xml must contain com.google.android.play.billingclient.version. If it doesn’t, check whether manifest merging removes it.

For every other dated Apple, Google Play and Firebase requirement in 2026 and 2027, see App Store and Google Play deadlines for 2026 and 2027.

If you use RevenueCat and the paywall comes back empty after the update, the cause is usually a mismatch between RevenueCat and Play Console, not the library. See RevenueCat “Products Could Not Be Fetched”.

Need a hand?

If an app can’t ship an update because of the Billing Library deadline, or purchases broke after the upgrade, the App Fix Ticket covers it in two fixed-price steps. A $450 Diagnosis gives you the root cause with evidence and a fixed repair quote within 3 business days, credited toward the fix. If you go ahead, the $1,200 Fix takes 5 business days and comes as a pull request. Or send me a short description.