Cross-platform technology provider and mobile app developer Metismo has forged a partnership with mobile payments firm paythru to provide its clients with the ability to take in-app payments.

The partnership means consumers will be able to pay for goods, services or upgrades without having to leave a Metismo-developed mobile app. So if a customer wants to top up a game fee, upgrade from a free app to a paid version, or access pay-walled content from a news service via an app, they can do so without having to go through a separate payment site and risk degrading the app experience. The move also enables an app owner to keep control of the payment process and the customer relationship by, for example, distributing a free app direct to customers, with an option to upgrade or pay for further use.

paythru’s secure mobile payments platform allows consumers to spend what they want, when they want, where they want, through any internet-enabled mobile phone and using any bank or credit card. paythru’s mobile payment platform is Level 1 PCI DSS compliant, delivering the same standard of security as retail bank and card issuers.

Metismo’s Bedrock rapid production environment and device database enables companies to prototype, develop and target apps to hundreds of handsets quickly and easily. The company’s cross-compiler converts Java source code to human readable C++, simultaneously deploying apps to iPhone, Android, BREW, Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile handsets; handhelds; Sony PSP and Nintendo DS, and the web with HTML5 or Flash.

“Many companies come to mobile apps through Apple’s iPhone, as it is relatively simple to implement. But having got a taste for the opportunities mobile offers, they want to move onto all of the available mobile platforms, and integrate with their web presence,” says Metisom CEO, John Chasey. “As experts in multi-platform app development, we needed a mobile payments partner that can work cross mobile platforms and integrate with the web. paythru meets both of these criteria.”