I know that Apple has a great way to add monthly subscription IAP's to your app in the App Store, but I have a client who would prefer to use a different service to charge for this subscription that could tie in to their website. Does anyone know if Apple allows you to charge a monthly subscription inside your app via an online credit card processor (like Stripe or Chargify) rather than being required to do so through the app store?
I doubt that Apple would let you do this as you are then circumventing the IAP program. You could possibly redirect the user out of the app like Spotify does, but this could still get the app rejected - a small part of the review process depends on which reviewer you get!
Reference in the app store guidelines:
11.2 (source)
Apps utilizing a system other than the In-App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an App will be rejected
Related
I'd like to integrate payment for subscription to our services. Currently the website offers manually-renewable subscription for 6 or 12 months, and we take the payment by Credit Card (authorize.net payment gateway) or PayPal. As we'd like to offer the users to be able to renew subscriptions from our iOS app, too, I was thinking if I could integrate the Paypal and Authorize.net SDKs in our app instead of using in-app purchases.
Here are the points related to my question from the App Store Review Guidelines:
11.2. Apps utilizing a system other than the In-App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an App will be rejected
11.12. Apps offering subscriptions must do so using IAP, Apple will share the same 70/30 revenue split with developers for these purchases, as set forth in the Program License Agreement.
11.13. Apps that link to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the App, such as a "buy" button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book, will be rejected.
The above points don't exactly answer my following question:
If I must use in-app purchases for subscription renewals, can I also provide users the options to pay via Paypal and Credit Card through my iOS app besides in-app purchases? Note that the "buy" button won't go to a website to purchase the subscription - I'll be integrating PayPal and Authorize.net SDKs to receive purchases from the app.
Apple handles the payment options for you, you cannot offer your "own" payment providers for In-App Purchases. (You can, but your app will be rejected)
The official payment options vary on the user's country: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202631
Please note that there are things happening in this space.
According to recent news, apple is forced to allow external payments.
I don't know if it is already in effect in the guidelines of apple but I suspect it will be coming.
I have developed an app like money wallet (e.g. paytm), where user can request money to each other and transfer money to each others account. with every transaction of user, Admin will get some fixed percent commission.
As app is for one small town only,right now user will have to manually contact admin to load money in his wallet or to withdraw it.
I want to submit my app on iTunes store. I know to use any digital content, services, unlock features we need to use In App Purchase. And for any physical good we need to go with any other third party payment gateway.
So I am confused that will apple approve my app or not. Please help.
Thanks,
First, you never know if Apple will approve or not. The only way to know for sure is to submit and see what happens.
Your description of features sounds like you are probably taking the correct approach.
Its important to use In app purchase for unlocking content/features:
Apps that unlock or enable additional features or functionality
with mechanisms other than the App Store will be rejected
And equally for real world purchases to use something else:
Apps using IAP to purchase physical goods or goods and services used
outside of the App will be rejected
The complete guidelines can be found here https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#purchasing-currencies
And again, its Apples own words:
This is a living document, and new Apps presenting new questions may
result in new rules at any time. Perhaps your App will trigger this.
I tried to submit using paytm integration sdk, and after that my app got rejected
following is reply from App Store
Guideline 3.1.1 - Business - Payments - In-App Purchase
We noticed that your app or its metadata enables the purchase of content, services, or functionality in the app by means other than the in-app purchase API, which is not appropriate for the App Store.
Next Steps
While the payment system that you have included may conduct the transaction outside of the app, if the purchasable content, functionality, or services are intended to be used in the app, they must be purchased using in-app purchase, within the app - unless it is of the type referenced in guideline 3.1.3 of the App Store Review Guidelines.
Please see attached screenshots for details.
Since your App Store Connect status is Rejected, a new binary will be required.
We are working on a game app on iOS. Our target users are in Asia which have limited credit card access thus that make it difficult to use In-App Purchase API. Can we implement another way of payment instead, or just instruct users to pay somewhere else ?
Apple does not allow this. In the App Store Review Guidelines under section 11 Purchasing and currencies it states clearly -
11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In-App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an App will be rejected
I'm developing a Newsstand app which uses in-app purchases and auto-renewable subscriptions to unlock and display paid issues of a magazine.
I have access to the database of the magazine's print subscribers and mechanism to identify each one of them with a unique code. I would like to allow people with the code to download digital issues they have subscribed to in print for free. However, I am worried that my app will get rejected from the App Store.
Quote the App Store Review Guidelines:
11.1 Apps that unlock or enable additional features or functionality with mechanisms other than the App Store will be rejected
11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In-App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an App will be rejected
Is allowing print subscribers to download issues they've already paid for a 'mechanism other than the App Store' or a 'system other than IAP'? Is there a best practice to accomplish this without violating the Guidelines? Has anybody solved a similar problem to this?
You should be fine unless you allow these users to register for said code inside your app. That means that you are circumventing in-app purchases and still using iOS to deliver content.
Say you have your own subscription service and people can purchase a subscription through your website. You are within your rights to allow them access to this subscription in the App.
What you are not allowed to do is allow them to purchase a subscription via your website in the App. In this scenario you must use In-App purchases.
We are in the process of developing a Cordova iPhone/iPad application, our plan is to release the app in the store as a free app.
We initially thought we would be able to offer full and free use of the app for 30 days, after which we would ask the user to pay to access the app.
The payment would be managed outside of the app (i.e. Not an in-app purchase), circumventing Apple's mechanism and the revenue split.
However from all the reading we've done around in-app subscriptions and taking payment outside of the app store it appears this may not be possible and we will struggle to get the app approved.
In an ideal world we would:
Publish the app
User download the app
User uses the app for 30 days
On day 31 we ask the user to pay for continued access
User taps a button and pays via our payment gateway
User returns to the app and can continue to use the app forever
We will also be releasing a web app, same functionality and same payment process required.
Im almost 100% sure that Apple will turn us down for this, we are essentially offering a trial of the app and then asking for payment simply to circumvent the revenue split - at least thats how it can be interpreted.
I'm trying to find a workflow (user journey) that would work in our case but also with the app store process.
Thinking something potentially like the Spotify model, where a subscription is required (Username/Password) and then the app is downloaded?
Your original idea is going to get you rejected for sure. What's wrong with offering some of the features through IAP?
From the submission guidelines:
2.9 Apps that are "beta", "demo", "trial", or "test" versions will be rejected
11.1 Apps that unlock or enable additional features or functionality with mechanisms other than the App Store will be rejected
11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In-App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an App will be rejected
Additionally, you can do the subscription model, but beware of this as well:
11.12 Apps offering subscriptions must do so using IAP, Apple will share the same 70/30 revenue split with developers for these purchases, as set forth in the Program License Agreement
11.13 Apps that link to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the App, such as a "buy" button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book, will be rejected
11.14 Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video and cloud storage) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the App, as long as there is no button or external link in the App to purchase the approved content. Apple will only receive a portion of revenues for content purchased inside the App
Seems like Apple become less strict to that rule. I can't find any mentions like this: "Apps that unlock or enable additional features or functionality with mechanisms other than the App Store will be rejected" in current docs.
Here is a new one:
3.1.1 In-App Purchase: If you want to unlock features or functionality within your app, (by way of example: subscriptions, in-game
currencies, game levels, access to premium content, or unlocking a
full version), you must use in-app purchase.
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#in-app-purchase
Also, Netflix has launched the app with the ability to buy a subscription outside of the Appstore:
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/276066-netflix-experiments-with-bypassing-apple-app-store-subscription-fees