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I am wondering what the rules are around using an external payment system (like Braintree) for in-app purchases on iOS. We already run a streaming music service that operates over the web, and we want to develop apps for Android+iOS. It's a subscription service, and we currently run all our payments through Braintree. If at all possible, we'd like to continue to do so.

I'm a little hazy on the exact details of when this is allowed and when it's verboten.

This would allow users to stream full tracks within the app (otherwise all they get are 30-second previews), but it also allows them to use the subscription online and on other platforms. So, would this therefore be an allowable use of a 3rd party payment system by the "law of Apple?"

obeattie
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1 Answers1

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From the 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

https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

Cœur
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ggfela
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    I just wonder if this comes under their definition of goods that are/can be used "outside the app," I'd say it's debatable whether this is unlockable content or not; after all, it's not restricted to use in the app (and in fact is likely to be used more outside the app, for what it is) – obeattie Feb 06 '13 at 13:58
  • If the app provides access to the items then you are out of luck. The only option is to require users go on their own to a website to buy (no links allowed) like Amazon Kindle app. If you sell items like a real life couch, then no problem. – ahwulf Feb 06 '13 at 14:05
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    Is there a hole in this system or am I missing something? You can't use in-app payments outside ios, so if users get a subscription in the app, they can't use it on web, if users get a subscription on web, they can't use it on ios as these rules suggest, so are they forcing people to get 2 subscriptions? or forcing people to use only ios? I'm pretty confused. – Kaan Soral Apr 14 '13 at 22:42