Installed the app but still waiting for points?
You installed the app from a Play Points offer, but the reward has not appeared. Start with the activity window: Google's US guidance requires a first installation and at least two minutes of app use within the first 24 hours. After that, an eligible reward may take up to seven days to appear.
Those are two different clocks: 24 hours to complete the activity, and up to seven days for the reward to show. Checking which stage you reached is more useful than starting another download. Google's US install-offer conditions
Start with the offer you actually saw
Open the Play Store with the Google account that received the offer, then go to Play Points → Earn. If the card is still available, read its app name, reward, expiry and any activation instruction. Keep a private screenshot so you have the original wording to compare with what you completed.
A free download by itself is not a promise of points. You need an eligible offer for that app. If the card asks for several tasks, a purchase or a subscription, use the Google Play quest guide for that task sequence. This article covers the first-install promotion.
Two minutes, 24 hours and seven days: which clock matters?
| Stage | US official condition | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the activity | Use the app for at least two minutes within 24 hours of installation | When you installed it and when you used it |
| Wait for the reward | Points may take up to seven days to appear | The offer terms and your Points history |
For example, suppose you install an offered app at 9 a.m. on Monday. You need to spend at least two minutes in it by 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Using it on Monday afternoon fits that window; opening it for the first time on Wednesday does not. The seven-day wait is for the points to arrive, not extra time to finish the activity.
If you completed the activity on time, give the reward its stated processing period and check Points history. Google says ineligible rewards will not appear there, but an empty history entry immediately after playing is not enough to tell which situation applies.
A reinstall is still a previous installation
Think back to whether you tried the app before, including on another device. Google's eligibility check uses information about previous downloads, installation and use. Removing an app from your phone does not establish that you are a first-time user. Google's guidance on new-app offers
Keep the original install and use times. A reinstall does not reset first-install eligibility, and those original times are what you need to compare with the offer.
Review Play personalization
Google needs certain app-activity information to check eligibility for install offers, and its Play Points guidance connects access to that information with personalization settings. Changes can affect your ability to earn an offer reward. That does not mean changing a setting now will credit an expired offer.
In the Play Store, open your profile → Personalization in Play to review the controls and their explanations. Play personalization, Play History and a Play Games profile have different purposes. In particular, Google's current history guide says turning off Play History does not interrupt Play Points membership or quest progress. That is separate from an individual install offer's activity-data requirements.
Read Google's personalization and history explanation before choosing how your data is used.
When the reward is still missing
In the same Google account, open Play Store → profile → Play Points → More → Points history. Look for the offer reward rather than only comparing the total balance, which can also change when you spend points. The balance and history guide explains those different numbers.
If the stated processing period has passed and the conditions appear to match, prepare a short note for Google Play support:
- The app and offer name, expected points and original card wording.
- Your install date and time, and when you used the app.
- What Points history shows and the date you checked it.
- Any error message or setting relevant to the offer.
Send account details and screenshots through the official support flow; keep them out of public posts. With the offer wording, your timeline and Points history together, you can explain exactly which reward you expected and what is missing.
If the missing points came from a paid purchase instead, continue with purchase points not showing up. That is a different check from an install reward, and does not call for another purchase to test it.