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Hey, it’s Talal Khawaja!

I want to share a small Google Play Console issue I faced while publishing my app, because I could not find a clear solution for it online.

I built the application using Laravel and Flutter. After that, I created my Google Play Developer account, paid the $25 fee, and uploaded the app. Everything looked fine at first, but when I tried to move forward with publishing, Google Play kept asking me to create a merchant account.

The confusing part was that my app was free.

So obviously I was thinking, why do I need a merchant account if I am not selling anything?

I searched online, checked community discussions, and tried to understand what was going on, but the answers were not clear. So I contacted Google support directly and went back and forth with them until I found the actual fix.

The solution was inside Play Console.

You need to open your app, then go to:

Monetize with Play → Products → App pricing

From there, set the app to Free.

Once I changed the app pricing to free, I was able to continue without creating a merchant account.

So if your free app is asking for a merchant account in Google Play Console, check the App pricing section first. That setting can be the real reason you are getting blocked.

I also recorded a full video showing the issue and the fix step by step:

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/W9KtfUsXFq4

Hope this saves someone a lot of time.

Can’t Publish Your Free App on Google Play? Do This Google Play was asking for a merchant account even though my app was free.In this video, I show the exact fix inside Play Console.Go to:Monetize with Play → ...

How I Solved a Stubborn WordPress Issue on a Live Server

Recently, a client reached out to me for help with a WordPress issue they were facing. They were running their WordPress site on a live server deployed through cPanel, using WPBakery Page Builder. The problem? Whenever they updated the content on their pages, the front-end still displayed the old code. It was as if the updates were never happening!

After some investigation and multiple troubleshooting steps, I finally got to the root of the issue. Here's how it all unfolded.

The Problem: Content Not Updating on Front-End

The client reported that after updating their WordPress pages, the new content was not showing up on the site’s front end. Instead, they kept seeing the outdated version of their pages. I knew this was likely a caching or shortcode issue, but it was time to dive deeper.

Step 1: Cache Plugins – No Luck
My first thought was to clear any caching plugins. I went through all the cache plugins installed on the site, cleared the caches, and even disabled the plugins temporarily. Unfortunately, this didn't solve the problem. The old content was still showing up on the front-end.

Step 2: WP Content Cache Folder – No Luck Again
Next, I turned my attention to the wp-content/cache folder. Deleting the files in this folder often forces WordPress to rebuild its cache. I deleted the entire cache folder and reloaded the site. Still, nothing changed on the front-end.

Step 3: Modifying .htaccess – No Change
I also modified the .htaccess file, tweaking it to disable server-side caching. But this didn’t solve the issue either. It was becoming clear that the problem was more complex.

Step 4: Debugging Enabled – No Output
At this point, I knew I needed more information, so I turned on WordPress debugging by updating the wp-config.php file. However, to my surprise, nothing was being logged! The debug mode wasn’t working, and I suspected there was a configuration issue within the wp-config.php file.

Step 5: Fixing wp-config.php
After a closer look at the wp-config.php file, I discovered there was a duplication error. Two debug mode settings were conflicting, preventing it from functioning properly. Once I removed the duplicate code and saved the file, debugging started working as expected.

Step 6: The Real Culprit – Shortcode Error
Finally, I was able to pinpoint the issue. The debug logs revealed a deprecation warning related to the shortcodes.php file inside the wp-includes folder. The function str_contains() was being passed a null value, which caused the entire shortcode ex*****on to fail.

I fixed the error by modifying the shortcodes.php file to properly handle the null value. After that, everything worked like a charm! The page content updated correctly on the front end, and the client was back in business.

Conclusion
This WordPress troubleshooting session was a reminder that issues can sometimes be caused by something as simple as a minor error in a core file. While cache issues are common, it’s important to explore other possibilities like code errors, especially when debugging tools aren’t functioning properly.

In the end, it was a rewarding fix! If you're running into similar problems, double-check your wp-config.php settings and review your debug logs for clues.

Feel free to reach out if you need any WordPress help!

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