I have been developing mobile games on Unreal for several years, and the more time passes, the more Epic neglects mobile users by not updating its engine or no longer correcting bugs that have been reported for years.
I’ve fixed many engine bugs for Epic and I’ve always shared my findings with the community, but my knowledge in coding has its limits and it’s getting harder and harder for me.
I’m currently using Unreal 5.2, because this version allows to use in-app purchases and ads without any plugins or engine modifications. The thing is this version is not working for Android 34 and 35 because of an engine bug.
UE 5.3 and 5.4 fixed the Android 34 problem, but the new IAP method is broken so you can’t use them. Ads are also broken if you don’t modify engine files by yourself.
Version 5.5 was recently released, and I need your help. Any of you managed to build for Android on this version?
With the exact same configuration I had on 5.2-5.4, I have 2 major issues which did not exist in previous versions:
With NDK 25 or 26, I can build and launch without problem, but when the game opens on my phone it’s an instant crash.
With NDK 27 or higher, I just have an instant “unknown error” when trying to build.
I’ve tried with Google PAD on and off, with Android Studio 2022 and 2024, I’ve tried several configuration of build-tools, CMAKE and Java… same result.
What am I missing? Is there a new parameter to check on this version that did not exist on the previous ones?
And most important question: did you manage to get the IAPs to work without any plugin and without the source engine? Or am I doing this for nothing? xd
Once successfully built , UAT automatically created .apk, .aab, .obb inside the building folder,
i only has a phone of android-33, so i don’t try to run it yet.
I had to convert my project into c++, then fix the usual bugs (AndroidAdvertising_APL.xml, UnrealEditor-Advertising.lib, build.gradle and GooglePAD_APL.xml).
I then packaged the game a first time, uploaded it on the Play Console, downloaded it, and only after that I was able to launch it from the editor.
And spoiler: they still haven’t fixed the IAP problem
The problem is about the node “Start an in app purchase”, it uses a deprecated method, giving the warning “invalid player unique net id” when you try to start an in app purchase.
It’s been bugged since Unreal 5.3, when they removed the node “Make An InApp Purchase”.
On UE 5.5.4, IAP for consumables configured in Google Play console works without additional 3rd party plugins, once you have Google cloud console and Play Games services are up properly.
For non consumable items (one time purchase), it needs some modification in UE Engine Plugins as explained in my earlier post in this thread.
If you want more details on step by step instructions, I can help over discord @rushatgames.
