Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sprint makes it easier, quicker for Android customers to purchase apps

Looks like Sprint has jumped on the carrier billing band wagon with AT&T and T-Mobile and rolled out support for their Android devices. Customers using phones powered by Android OS now have the option to purchase applications from the Android Market and charge it to their monthly Sprint bill. The carrier billing option supplements Google’s Checkout, which has seen limited success compared to other mobile payment methods. While the service is still currently rolling out, Sprint customers shouldn’t expect the services to be fully implemented for a few days.

The addition of this service support to Sprint Android devices is welcomed, as it becomes much easier for Android owners to purchase apps on their phones. Instead of setting up a Google Checkout account or entering credit card information on the device, the ability to add purchases to a monthly phone bill makes downloading applications a one-click transaction. In turn, this will help application developers to create and sell more software in the Android market, as a recent survey from Strategy Analytics shows that 38 percent of customers prefer carrier billing, and are therefore more apt to make purchases.