How to activate an in-app product in Google Play Developer Console while application is in draft?

Question

I'm trying to add an in-app product to my draft Android app that has been uploaded to the Developer Console. But since no version of the app had ever been published, the Developer Console gives me this message:

Your in-app product has been marked to be activated when the application is published.

Is there no way to test in-app products before publishing the app? The guide says that you should be able to do this with a draft application:

... you can publish your in-app items while your APK is still a draft

but I just can't seem to figure out how. Any tips?

I should also mention that I was able to activate products for another app while it was still in draft, but I already had an older version of that app that was published. This time, I want the first version of the app to include an in-app product, but there seems to be no way to activate the products if you don't already have a (previously) published version of the app.

Answer 1

Though it shows this message Your in-app product has been marked to be activated when the application is published. in your developer console.

You can see that Product status is marked as 'ACTIVE'.

And you can test this product in your application.

Answer 2

Recent changes mean that draft versions are no longer acceptable for IAB testing. I found this, but also found that I couldn't publish my new app in Alpha/Beta testing. Then after a day, I found in top right of Console for APK publishing, a menu called Draft, which had an option Why Can't I Publish?

This told me that I needed to perform the following, before I can publish:

• You need to add a high-res icon.
• You need to add at least 2 screenshots.
• You need to acknowledge that this application meets the Content Guidelines.
• You need to acknowledge that this application complies with US export laws.
• Since you added promo text, you should also upload a promo graphic.

I hadn't done this yet as the app was still in testing phase!