Let me start with an embarrassing confession: I had a Google Play Console account since 2020 that I completely forgot about. I registered it when I was going through my I am going to be an indie app developer phase. Paid the one-time ₹1,750 registration fee, published one calculator app that got 12 downloads (11 of which were my family members), and then moved on with life.
Fast forward to late 2023. I was cleaning up old email subscriptions when I noticed a Google Play Console notification. That is when I remembered — oh right, I have one of these.
How I Stumbled Into Console Monetization
A developer friend casually mentioned that companies now pay you to host apps on your Play Console account. My immediate reaction was skepticism. Why would anyone pay for access to my account when they could just create their own?
Turns out, older Play Console accounts have certain advantages. They have established history with Google, which means apps published on them tend to get better treatment in terms of review times and trust signals. New accounts face stricter scrutiny, especially after Google tightened policies in late 2023.
Taking the Plunge
After researching for about two weeks — reading forums, Reddit threads, and talking to a couple of developers who were already doing this — I decided to try it. I went with ConsoleMint, primarily because they were UDYAM registered (I verified the registration number independently) and because they only asked for admin-level access, not owner-level.
The onboarding was anticlimactic in the best way possible. Submitted a screenshot of my console dashboard. Got verified the next day. Within a week, the first app was published on my account.
The Numbers — Month by Month
Here is what my earnings looked like over the first year:
- Month 1: ₹4,200 — The first payout. I remember checking my bank account three times to make sure it was real.
- Month 2-3: ₹5,000/month — Consistent. More apps were added to my console.
- Month 4-6: ₹5,500/month — Slight increase as apps gained traction.
- Month 7-9: ₹6,000/month — Stable plateau.
- Month 10-12: ₹5,800-6,200/month — Minor fluctuations but always within range.
Total for the year: approximately ₹4.8 lakhs.
What I Actually Did During This Time
Nothing. Literally nothing. I logged into my Play Console maybe 4-5 times over the entire year just to check that everything looked normal. The apps being hosted were productivity and business tools — nothing that made me uncomfortable. I still own my account completely. I can revoke access whenever I want.
The Honest Downsides
Let me be real about what is not great:
- You have no control over which apps are published. You trust the platform to keep things legitimate.
- If Google changes policies dramatically, the model could be affected.
- The earnings are decent but not going to replace a full-time salary.
- You are essentially renting out a digital asset — some people are not comfortable with that concept.
Would I Do It Again?
Without hesitation. I am earning nearly ₹5 lakhs a year from an account I literally forgot existed. The ₹1,750 I paid to register that console in 2020 has returned over 250x its value. Even if this stops working tomorrow, I have already earned far more than I ever expected from that dusty old account.
If you have an unused Play Console sitting around, it might be worth looking into console monetization. Not as a get-rich scheme — but as a genuinely passive income stream that requires zero ongoing effort.
— Vikram S., freelance developer and occasional tech blogger based in Pune
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