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Here are a couple of other ways to ask this question: What is Android's equivalent to Apple's vpp (volume purchase program)? What is Google Play's equivalent to Apple's vpp (volume purchase program)?

Right now I am distributing apps using Apple's b2b program that allows me to restrict who can download an app. I give the user a unique URL, from that URL they are able to download one copy of my app.

I would like to do the same thing using Google Play.

I want to distribute using Google Play rather than downloading off my site because I do not want to have the user be bothered with changing their setup to allow downloading from unknown sources.

Google has something called "Private Channel" http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2494992 . From reading the documentation it seems that this program is targeted for companies that are in control of their user's email addresses.

I need to handout download codes to users with existing accounts that I do not control.

Be Kind To New Users
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  • Not only is this question off topic, but it's also a dupe: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11079481/distributing-android-apps-to-enterprise-volume-purchase-program-like – james.garriss Dec 18 '14 at 14:57

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I needed to revisit this issue for a new app: I talked to Google: it does not violate their rules to use the Beta program for doing this. That is: I can either list all of the email addresses that will access the app in the beta program, create a link that if someone has that link they can download the app, or create a google group that anyone in that group can access the app.

For my use case I am going to use the google group so that someone else can manage the members of the group.

Be Kind To New Users
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Since Android doesn't have Apple like restrictions, can't you just publish the branded app in the Android market place along with your app?

user881148
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    sometimes you want the app to be free but also want to restrict who can download the app for free, for example, when the app uses a technology that requires patent fee payment. – Yi Wang Aug 09 '13 at 22:42
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You can deploy the android app to enterprise using Google's play private channel

The step by step guides and more details on deploying private android apps are here

ksivamuthu
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    The private channel seems to require that I be in control of the user's email addresses. Previously I wrote that I thought that I had to be in control of them AND they had to be Google email addresses. Private channel would work for me if Google allowed me to upload a spreadsheet of arbitrary email addresses. – Be Kind To New Users Mar 26 '14 at 20:30
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Did you use the b2b channel for your needs? I have the same question. The Private Channel looks designed for in-house distribution rather than b2b.

For b2b is there anything stopping a developer selling the apk to an organisation and missing out Google Play all together?

farang_utang
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    I used b2b for my needs for iOS. I did not use private channel for Android; I put a password on my app and distributed on Google Play. I do not distribute Android other than by Google Play because that requires the end user to change the security settings on their phone. I did not want to put myself in the position of being blamed for their security issues in the future. – Be Kind To New Users Jan 27 '15 at 13:54