Apple in-app purchase rejections info and possible solutions

In recent months it appears that Apple is rejecting more apps that allow the user to purchase access or in-app content outside of the app, e.g. directing them to an external URL and therefore bypassing Apple's in-app purchase rules. You may have seen press about Apple and Fortnight on this very topic! 

Please review Apple’s “App store review guidelines”: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ (section 3.1).

The result of this restriction affects apps worldwide, and is Apple enforcing its policy that all purchases will be considered “in-app purchases'' using the Apple store front. Applicaster cannot take responsibility for app store rejections based on in-app purchases that violate Apple’s guidelines as this is not related to bugs or mismatches between Applicaster’s SDK and Apple. 

Solutions that adhere to Apple’s guidelines include:

1. Use the Inplayer plugin -

Inplayer is pre-integrated into the Zapp Marketplace and supports in-app purchases (as well as other forms of monetization). Availabilable for mobile Quick Brick platforms and TV Quick Brick platforms: TVOS, Android tv, Fire tv, and Roku.

You can read more about Inplayer here.

2. Develop your own 3rd party solution for in-app purchases - 

Please speak with your CSM if you're interested in pursuing this option

3. AVOD / SVOD model - 

There are more ways to monetize our product, or build a business model with it:

• AVOD: using Applicaster’s out of the box video advertising tools (Google Advertising, IMA).
• AVOD + Login (requires dev work): this option combines monetization of vods + collecting data on your users by login screen.
• AVOD+SVOD: combination of both advertising based vod on demand, and subscription videos within the app.

One more possible solution: Change the purchase flow by having unlocked items -

By using this flow you will give your users a “free pass” to the app (no login screen at the app launch) which will contain “free items”, as well as “non-free”. Only By selecting “non-free items” the app will trigger the login screen.

 For this solution, It is important to mention that:

• It is still contravening Apple's app store guidelines and is not recommended by us for that matter. We just base this on observation of other apps that have got approval to be in the store.

• Regardless of the Apple “in-app purchases rejections” matter, this flow is recommended UX wise, as a Login screen at app launch is a “blocker” for users to access the app and decide if they would like to use it (especially if the sign up is on a different platform).

Side note: At the moment we are not experiencing the same restrictions with Google Play (please review “Google play terms of service” section 3: https://play.google.com/intl/en_uk/about/play-terms/). But for clarity, future changes in the Google policy can happen, and it is not something that “Applicaster” can control.

Regardless of the approach you choose, our recommendation is to have a cross-platform solution for in-app purchasing.