Is there any API which lets me generate and retrieve promo codes of an App from iTunes?
Please let me know.
In iTunes Connect you can generate promo codes. There is no known API, so the answer to your question is no. That kind of answer does come around once and a while ;)
Note that you can only generate 50 promo codes for each version of an app. Most people send them to reviewers.
Because of that limit, most promotional giveaways are done by temporarily dropping the price of your app. You can change prices instantaneously through iTunes Connect, like screenshots before the recent change to prevent scammers!
Related
I need to update URL for App Store server notifications, which I entered when started development the app.
So IT was available.
But now, there is no such input
Also I have valid role for edit this info, have several Auto-Renewable Subscriptions, used different browsers. and my teammates do not see this input too
as describe in doc https://help.apple.com/app-store-connect/#/dev0067a330b
You have to add a subscription item in your In App Purchases Section.
Once added the field will show up.
I've written to apple support and got the answer with "To better assist you, I need more information. Please provide the following:...."
So I started recording the video about this issue and guess what? Right! The input field was in the place where it should be.
I did nothing additional after write this post and ask the support. Dark magic as it is.
Apple should improve developer experience in App Store Connect. This is not the first such problem. The most often, apple even does not the error text and you should go to dev tools and look out what the real problem
As of about May 2014 this year, searching Google for "ios in app purchase promotion code", yields lots of news sites reporting the same thing - Apple seem to be working on allowing promotion codes for testing in-app purchases as evidenced by a screenshot from EA games.
My question is; does anybody know how to do this yet? I logged into the new iTunesConnect interface but can't find any link and nothing appears in the Apple docs from what I can find.
Ideally I'm looking to create a code for a monthly subscription but they may only be allowed for consumables. With the lack of actual info on IAP promo codes my guess is that the feature hasn't been officially made available yet and that EA games were invited by Apple to test it out.
As #Christoph Wimberge notes this is old news. Apple is now supporting this.
You cannot officially get promo codes for IAP currently. See here https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/documentation/LanguagesUtilities/Conceptual/iTunesConnect_Guide/Chapters/ProvidingPromoCodes.html . If you're testing then you should be creating Sandbox Testers under Users and Roles. Depending on how you handled the IAP this could well serve as a promo code of sorts. So, for instance, if you're using the IAP to set a flag in NSUserDefaults or a plist file then this will work as a promo code. You will have to instruct the user to log in as the test user for the purposes of the purchase. Even if you delete the test user once the flag is set the user can use the IAP so long as they don't completely remove the app and assuming you don't change the way IAPs are handled like using App Store digital receipts to confirm purchases. Of course, if you're worried about crackers then you're probably not going to store successful IAP as a flag especially in User Defaults where anyone can just change the value willy nilly. But for apps that aren't games this probably isn't a huge worry. Hope that helps.
We were told by Apple today that they never allow users to type in codes, use Q-codes, or other gateway key to access anything. Instead, she said we should use a members-only webpage (i.e., login required) to accept redemption codes and associate the content through our backend. When the user returns to the app, the content would be available.
If Apple enabled codes for IAP, you could offer sales of the codes from another platform, which would then unlock the IAP. Apple would be doing all of the work, but reaping none of the rewards. In addition, all of a sudden, you've created a knock off market for promotional codes, like g2a.com does for Steam keys.
While Apple might have the functionality, it seems exclusive to EA for now.
Currently, you'll need to figure out how to support promotional items outside of the app store.
Is there a way to offer a purchase free of charge for in-app purchases? I'd like to give a free download as a promotional item and not charge the normal price that is listed in iTunes.
You have to code for this in your app. In my app all purchases are registered on parse.com and sync'd between user's devices. I can add a purchase to the class on parse.com for a user and then they get the IAP for free when the data sync's to their device.
Apple don't have any mechanism for this like they do with app purchases unfortunately. The best way I've found is a custom URL scheme, so you can generated a code/string of your custom URL type ://myApp/123456promoCodeFooBar12999 etc, then your app, in response can connect to your server and check this code off against your database (confirming that it has not been used before, and can't be used again on a diff device) before unlocking the feature. This circumvents needing to get UUID's off people etc (which you can't do in code anymore to check against anyway), you just need an email address, send link, user clicks in it, your app opens and away you go :)
edit addition 28 Feb 2014..
an alternate approach might be to submit an separate paid version of the application in which all upgrades are unlocked because they are paid for upfront at purchase time. You may choose to keep this off the iTunes shelf but occasionally put it up, perhaps at a prohibitively high price, $1000 etc, because you can get the normal promo codes off Apple for this one to give to journalists etc, just explain what you are doing to them in your cover letter and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to play ball
I have recently released an app on the app store. I would like to allow some to have access to a free version but have some concerns about offering promo codes. My big question is:
How many times can one promo code be used? I guess I'm concerned about a promo code getting into the wrong hands and being distributed...
Thanks! V
A promo code can only be used once. Sometime developers will post a few of them on Twitter or other marketing channels and people can grab one, however if it has already been entered, iTunes will report it as "already used".
Apple has a good summary of how promo codes work.
I recently came upon a promotion of a paid iOS app that appears to generate App Store promo codes on the fly.
I thought you could only have 50 promo codes per app version. Where can I find more information about this dynamic promo code service?
I couldn't find a better Stack Exchange site to ask this question, and iTunes Connect does fall into the "software tools commonly used by programmers" category. Apologies in advance if the community thinks this question is off-topic.
I don't think anyone here is going to be able to help you, at least not without breaking non-disclosure agreements.
For the majority of apps, you have to make do with the 50 promo code limit within iTunes Connect. However, Apple will work with developers and publishers for larger promotions - for example, the free 'App of the Week' in Starbucks, or this IGN promotion you linked to.
There is no way for 'normal' or typical app store developers to get access to this. You need direct access to marketing/app store contacts at Apple, which is normally only available to developers of a certain size. I'm sorry it's not better news for you. If you are a developer of significant size then you should get in touch with Apple directly.
There is a difference between the 100 promo codes you get from iTunes Connect and the promo codes distributed at large as a part of a marketing campaign. Technically, you are only supposed to use the 100 promo codes internally or share them with journalists etc. If you would like to get promo codes for marketing, contact Apple directly at AppStoreMarketing#apple.com and request promo codes for a large promotion.