billing-response-codes

Billing Response Codes

Phase 0: Intent

Use this skill when you need to look up the meaning, category, or handling strategy for a value returned by BillingResult.getResponseCode() or BillingResult.getOnPurchasesUpdatedSubResponseCode() in the Play Billing Library. This reference covers:

• All BillingResponseCode constants defined in PBL 9.x (the constant set is unchanged from PBL 8.x; v9 added no codes and removed none).
• All OnPurchasesUpdatedSubResponseCode constants added in PBL 8.0.
• Retry eligibility for each code.
• The recommended response strategy per code.
• A decision tree that maps any received code to an action.

Use this skill to answer questions like "what does response code 7 mean", "should I retry on SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE", or "how do I handle ITEM_ALREADY_OWNED".

Do not use this skill to author new integration code from scratch. Use the launch or purchase flow skills for that. This skill is a lookup table.

Phase 1: Locate

The authoritative copy of the tables and decision tree lives in the full appendix on revenuecat.com. When a question asks for:

• The literal integer value of a code, see "Response Codes".
• Sub response codes introduced in PBL 8.0, see "Sub Response Codes (PBL 8.0+)".
• The retry strategy for a code, see "Retry Implementation Summary".
• A full flow from received code to action, see "Error Handling Decision Tree".

The tables reproduced below in Phase 2 mirror the appendix verbatim so you can answer most lookups without opening the chapter.

Phase 2: Reference Tables

BillingResponseCode values

Code	Value	Retriable	Description	Recommended Strategy
OK	0	N/A	Operation succeeded	Process the result normally.
USER_CANCELED	1	No	User dismissed the purchase dialog	No action needed. Do not show an error message.
SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE	2	Yes	Google Play service is temporarily unavailable	Retry with exponential backoff (2s base, 2x factor, max 3 attempts).
BILLING_UNAVAILABLE	3	No (auto)	Billing is unavailable on this device or for this user	Do not auto retry. Check Play Store version and user account. Let the user try again manually. PBL 9 (with androidx.core 1.9+) also routes a system blocked Play Store here with a "Play Store is blocked" debugMessage, where PBL 8 returned ERROR.
ITEM_UNAVAILABLE	4	No	The requested product is not available for purchase	Refresh product details with queryProductDetailsAsync(). The product may have been deactivated.
DEVELOPER_ERROR	5	No	Invalid arguments passed to the API	Fix your code. Check product IDs, offer tokens, and parameter construction. This is a programming error.
ERROR	6	Yes	An internal Google Play error occurred	Retry with exponential backoff. If persistent, report to Google.
ITEM_ALREADY_OWNED	7	No	The user already owns this non consumable item	Call queryPurchasesAsync() to refresh your local purchase cache. The user may have purchased on another device.
ITEM_NOT_OWNED	8	No	Attempted to consume or acknowledge an item the user does not own	Call queryPurchasesAsync() to refresh your local purchase cache. The purchase may have been refunded.
NETWORK_ERROR	12	Yes	A network error occurred during the operation	Retry with a short delay (1-2 seconds). Check device connectivity.
SERVICE_DISCONNECTED	-1	Yes	The BillingClient is not connected to Google Play Services	With enableAutoServiceReconnection() (PBL 8), the library retries automatically. Without it, call startConnection() and retry.
FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED	-2	No	The requested feature is not supported on this device or Play Store version	Check isFeatureSupported() before calling feature specific APIs. Provide fallback behavior.
SERVICE_TIMEOUT	-3	Yes (Deprecated)	The request timed out	Deprecated in recent PBL versions. Treat as SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE and retry with backoff.