App Review Guidelines -- In-App Purchases and Subscriptions

Use this as a StoreKit implementation guardrail for App Review payment issues. For full submission, privacy, metadata, entitlement, or rejection-risk audits, use the sibling app-store-review skill and re-check Apple's current App Review Guidelines.

Contents

• Guideline 3.1.1 Baseline
• What Generally Requires IAP
• What Generally Does Not Require IAP
• External Purchase Links and Reader Apps
• Subscription Display Requirements
• StoreKit Implementation Checklist
• Common IAP Rejection Risks
• Pre-Submission Payments Checklist
• References

Guideline 3.1.1 Baseline

Digital content, app features, subscriptions, virtual goods, and services unlocked in the app generally must use Apple's In-App Purchase system unless a specific App Review guideline exception, storefront-specific rule, or approved entitlement applies.

Do not present this as a universal ban on every external purchase link. The rules differ by storefront, entitlement, and app type, and they change over time. For a release audit, quote the current guidelines directly.

What Generally Requires IAP

• Premium features or content unlocks
• Subscriptions to app functionality
• Virtual currency, coins, gems, or other digital goods
• Ad removal
• Digital tips or donations
• Digital gift cards, certificates, vouchers, or coupons for digital goods

What Generally Does Not Require IAP

• Physical products and e-commerce
• Ride-sharing, food delivery, and real-world services
• One-to-one services such as tutoring or consulting booked through the app
• Enterprise or B2B apps distributed through Apple Business Manager

External Purchase Links and Reader Apps

• Remove external purchase links, buttons, calls to action, and purchase paths for digital goods unless the current storefront rules or an approved entitlement explicitly allow them.
• Reader apps may access content purchased elsewhere. Account-management or sign-up links depend on current reader-app rules, storefront, and entitlement status.
• U.S. storefront behavior and some regional external-purchase entitlements are different from the old blanket prohibition. Do not hardcode old guidance into product or review advice.

Subscription Display Requirements

• Clearly display price, duration, billing frequency, renewal behavior, and cancellation terms before purchase.
• Free trials must clearly state trial duration, post-trial price, billing frequency, auto-renewal, and cancellation terms.
• Subscriptions should provide ongoing value and be available across a user's devices where the app supports them.

StoreKit Implementation Checklist

• Categorize consumables, non-consumables, non-renewing subscriptions, and auto-renewable subscriptions correctly in App Store Connect.
• Provide working restore purchases for restorable products. StoreKit views can expose this with .storeButton(.visible, for: .restorePurchases).
• Verify transactions with StoreKit 2 VerificationResult, current entitlements, and server-side JWS validation when the business model requires server authority.
• Handle interrupted purchases, .pending Ask to Buy approvals, refunds, revocations, Family Sharing changes, grace period, and billing retry.

Common IAP Rejection Risks

1. Unauthorized external purchase path. The app links or directs users to buy digital goods outside IAP without a current rule or entitlement allowing that path.
2. Missing restore path. Restorable products cannot be restored from the paywall or store surface.
3. Unclear subscription terms. Price, duration, renewal behavior, trial conversion price, and cancellation terms are missing or hidden before purchase.
4. Incorrect product categorization. Consumables, non-consumables, and auto-renewable subscriptions do not match the App Store Connect product setup or the app's entitlement logic.

Pre-Submission Payments Checklist

• Digital goods and app-unlocked features use IAP unless a current exception or approved entitlement applies
• Subscription terms are visible before purchase
• Free trial copy states post-trial price and billing frequency
• External purchase links and CTAs are either removed or justified by a current storefront rule or approved entitlement
• Restore purchases path is visible and functional for restorable products
• Product types match App Store Connect configuration
• Transaction verification uses StoreKit 2 APIs and server validation where needed
• Ask to Buy, deferred approvals, refunds, and revocations are handled

References

• App Store Review Guidelines -- use the original Apple URL because this guidelines page is not reliably available through Sosumi.
• StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement
• StoreKit External Purchase