Taking a nod from the in-app purchasing Apple added to the iPhone with OS 3.0 this year, a Shanghai-based mobile technology company has now done the same with Google’s open-source Android.

MobileCrunch reports that tech startup Urbian, Inc. has found a work-around with Android to enable in-app purchasing, and they’re staking claim as the first developers to do so. The app is a puzzle game called Ringz, available now as a free download on the Android Marketplace. (Fear not, iPhone fans — an App Store version is now under review by Apple.)

The Android version of Ringz allows you to buy and download “Level Packs” from inside the app, similar to how the iPhone version will work, when available. However, if the extension is returned or uninstalled, that extra functionality vanishes from the app. Urbian claims this is by design, as some clever users tried copying the Level Pack files to a different location on their SD card in an effort to return them, then continue to use them for free.

In-app purchasing on the iPhone was met with cheers by developers, although it’s become somewhat of a sticky situation now that Apple is allowing such purchases inside free apps. App Store customers are now being misled into downloading a supposedly “free” app only to discover that most of its functionality has to be paid for once it’s in use. At any rate, Apple’s intentions were good — such as being able to buy more levels in a game such as Ringz.

MobileCrunch has posted a detailed graphic showing how Urbian’s Android in-app payment workaround functions, and presumably other developers will follow in their footsteps soon enough since Google has yet to create a system of their own.