Help getting plugin to work

[djrain]

Hi, thanks so much for the plugin. I'm having trouble getting it working for our released app. I followed the doc instructions:

added godot-iap folder to /addons
enabled plugin in project settings

but when I run the game on Android via one-click deploy, I get this output:

[GodotIap] Initializing native plugin...
[GodotIap] Platform: Android
[GodotIap] Checking for Android singleton...
[GodotIap] ERROR: GodotIap singleton not found!
[GodotIap] Native plugin not available - running in no native plugin
[GodotIap] This is expected when running in the editor or on desktop
[GodotIap] init_connection called
[GodotIap] ERROR: Cannot init connection — native plugin not available.

The docs suggest that it also needs to be enabled in export settings:

but I don't have a checkbox for GodotIap showing up in either iOS or android export settings.

Also, I need to enable gradle build for an admob plugin, but when I enable it, the export fails with this:

> Configure project :
WARNING: The option setting 'android.overridePathCheck=true' is experimental.
The current default is 'false'.
WARNING: We recommend using a newer Android Gradle plugin to use compileSdk = 36

This Android Gradle plugin (8.6.1) was tested up to compileSdk = 35.

You are strongly encouraged to update your project to use a newer
Android Gradle plugin that has been tested with compileSdk = 36.

If you are already using the latest version of the Android Gradle plugin,
you may need to wait until a newer version with support for compileSdk = 36 is available.

For more information refer to the compatibility table:
https://d.android.com/r/tools/api-level-support

To suppress this warning, add/update
    android.suppressUnsupportedCompileSdk=36
to this project's gradle.properties.

> Task :validateJavaVersion UP-TO-DATE
> Task :clean
> Task :assetPackInstallTime:clean UP-TO-DATE
> Task :preBuild UP-TO-DATE
> Task :preStandardDebugBuild UP-TO-DATE
> Task :mergeStandardDebugNativeDebugMetadata NO-SOURCE
> Task :checkKotlinGradlePluginConfigurationErrors SKIPPED
> Task :generateStandardDebugBuildConfig
> Task :generateStandardDebugResValues
> Task :checkStandardDebugAarMetadata FAILED
> Task :mapStandardDebugSourceSetPaths

FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':checkStandardDebugAarMetadata'.
> A failure occurred while executing com.android.build.gradle.internal.tasks.CheckAarMetadataWorkAction
   > 2 issues were found when checking AAR metadata:
     
       1.  Dependency 'androidx.core:core-ktx:1.18.0' requires Android Gradle plugin 8.9.1 or higher.
     
           This build currently uses Android Gradle plugin 8.6.1.
     
       2.  Dependency 'androidx.core:core:1.18.0' requires Android Gradle plugin 8.9.1 or higher.
     
           This build currently uses Android Gradle plugin 8.6.1.

* Try:
> Run with --stacktrace option to get the stack trace.
> Run with --info or --debug option to get more log output.
> Run with --scan to get full insights.
> Get more help at https://help.gradle.org.

BUILD FAILED in 6s
6 actionable tasks: 5 executed, 1 up-to-date

Not sure what I'm doing wrong - appreciate any help!

Godot 4.7.2 stable
godot-iap 3.5.0
macOS Tahoe 26.4

[hyochan]

Hi @djrain, thanks for the detailed report!

The issues you are seeing are likely because the native binary files are missing from your addons/godot-iap/ folder.

For Android, you need:

addons/godot-iap/
├── android/
│   ├── GodotIap.debug.aar    ← Required for native plugin
│   ├── GodotIap.release.aar  ← Required for native plugin
│   └── GodotIap.gdap         ← Required for export settings checkbox
├── godot_iap.gd
├── types.gd
└── plugin.cfg

The .gdap file is what registers the plugin in Project > Export > Options > Plugins. If you do not see the checkbox, the android/ folder with the .gdap file is missing.

To fix it:

1. Download the full release from GitHub Releases — make sure you get the ZIP that includes the android/ folder with AAR files
2. Replace your addons/godot-iap/ folder entirely with the downloaded one
3. Verify the android/ subfolder exists with the three files listed above
4. Restart Godot and check Project > Export > Android > Options > Plugins — the GodotIap checkbox should appear

On the gradle failure, the error about androidx.core:core-ktx:1.18.0 requiring AGP 8.9.1+ is a known compatibility issue:

• Godot 4.7.2 ships with Android Gradle Plugin 8.6.1
• The latest androidx.core libraries require AGP 8.9.1+

Three ways around it:

1. Wait for Godot 4.8 which should ship with a newer AGP version
2. Pin older dependency versions in your project's android/build.gradle if you have a custom gradle build setup
3. Check AdMob plugin compatibility — the conflict may be coming from the AdMob plugin's transitive dependencies rather than godot-iap

One more thing: one-click deploy does not use gradle build by default. For native plugins like godot-iap to work on device, either enable Gradle Build in export settings, or export an APK/AAB and install it manually.

Let us know if the AAR files were indeed missing!

[djrain]

@hyochan thanks for reply! verified my addons/godot-iap/ looks correct, and restarted Godot:

so not sure why the checkbox isn't showing up.

[hyochan]

Sorry, my earlier answer sent you down the wrong path. I downloaded the 3.5.0 release myself and the .gdap and both AARs are in it at the documented paths, so your folder is almost certainly fine.

The piece that is probably missing is the Android build template. Android plugins only work under the Gradle build, and that needs res://android/build/ to exist:

1. Project → Install Android Build Template
2. Android export preset → Gradle Build → Use Gradle Build = true
3. The Plugins section should then list GodotIap

Our own working example has exactly that: an android/build/ directory plus use_gradle_build=true and plugins/GodotIap=true in its preset. Without it, one-click deploy ships a prebuilt APK with no plugin, which is what "GodotIap singleton not found" means.

Full setup, including the folder layout and this Gradle requirement: https://openiap.dev/docs/setup/godot

If the template is already installed, tell me your Godot version and show the export preset screen rather than Project Settings, and I will dig further.