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I am looking at a subscription model for in-app functionality. It seems that this would be allowed as you could definitely use in-App purchase to buy extra features. Has anyone had any direct experience with this or know of other apps that do this?

It would not be a digital media subscription as all you would be subscribing to would be application features.

Aran Mulholland
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  • We have an app with in-app purchase that unlocks features. We're about 2 weeks from launching a version that allows you to subscribe instead to unlock those features. I'm happy to get back to you if/when it's approved. – Christopher Pickslay Oct 09 '11 at 17:22

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It's possible and Apple will allow it.

You will need to implement possibility that user when reinstalling iOS device can get purchased features back to his device.

Other than this it's simple non-consumable iap.

Amar Kulo
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  • do you have first hand experience, or know of an example where this is the case? – Aran Mulholland Oct 16 '11 at 09:14
  • I had an app that I have developed for a customer rejected few times until they explicitly said that I should use non-consumable iap type. After that it was a go. – Amar Kulo Oct 16 '11 at 09:51
  • yes but if it is non-consumable doesn't that mean it won't expire? as we want them to keep subscribing for features month to month. – Aran Mulholland Oct 19 '11 at 02:46
  • then you will have to use non-renewable subscription and implement your own mechanism for controlling if subscription has expired and so on – Amar Kulo Oct 19 '11 at 06:28
  • so you do not have any direct experience with doing this or know of any other apps that do......?? – Aran Mulholland Oct 20 '11 at 02:06
  • I have direct experience with app that has non-renewable subscription for features unlocked every month. Apple wouldn't allow auto-renewable subscription for this because they say "Auto-renewable subscriptions should be used for dynamically changed content, news, magazines, radio content, etc." and therefore they rejected my app with clear instruction that non-renewable subscription should be used. After I changed that application was reviewed and it's in App store now. – Amar Kulo Oct 20 '11 at 05:28
  • Cool: So in summary, I will use a non renewable subscription that the user will have to renew for every time period they wish to use it in. – Aran Mulholland Oct 20 '11 at 21:08
  • Yes, you will have to implement how user will know that he needs to renew, on our app which is connecting to server server is the one that sends the message which code recognizes and offer user to renew. – Amar Kulo Oct 21 '11 at 06:54