Over the past month I've been seeing a recent spate of customers suddenly having IAP problems where they are not getting their purchase because Apple is not providing an up to date receipt. To be clear, this is for consumable IAPs. This is super frustrating because nothing has changed from our side. Apple developer support have refused to investigate and say they aren't technical support. Yes I've told the customer to uninstall/restart/reinstall the app from the MAS which should force an up to date receipt but it still doesn't work. One customer went through the Apple support process and was simply given a refund, which is totally unhelpful because we've already had to manually add the purchased product and now we've lost the revenue and it doesn't get the problem fixed. Anyone else having similar problems?

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get advice or hear from anyone with similar experiences. Our app Pixllove was originally rejected under Guideline 4.3 (“Spam”). We were later invited to an App Review call with Erica, who reviewed everything and confirmed verbally and in writing (April 8, 2025) that the spam classification was removed. She acknowledged that our app uses a unique concept and only required us to implement a pre-chat consent popup. We implemented exactly that: • A popup appears before any chat starts, displaying the match’s name, age, and distance. • Users must actively accept before the chat begins. • We show this clearly in our new demo video. • Full reporting/blocking/moderation is in place. However, after submitting the updated build, we were again rejected under a different interpretation of 1.2, with the reasoning that our app “connects users randomly.” This appears to be a misunderstanding, since no match occurred during their test – and it takes at least 2 users online for a match to happen. We explained this and even submitted a screenshot of the consent popup, which had been explicitly requested by Erica. Sadly, the reviewer ignored our message and Erica’s previous confirmation and labeled us as spam again. We replied and asked them to please review Erica’s note from April 8, but we haven’t received a response yet. We’re lucky to have a second review meeting scheduled for Tuesday, but this experience has been extremely frustrating and honestly, quite unprofessional — especially after being told the issue had been resolved. Has anyone experienced something similar? What can be done to ensure prior Apple Review decisions are respected by future reviewers? Thanks so much in advance, Emilija Pixllove Team

Hello Community, My application was rejected by Apple App Review, citing Guideline 4.7 and "non-embedded," which I believe is incorrect. All transactions are signed and sent directly through the app with explicit user permission. Additionally, there's an issue with min apps where users can access the functionality via a browser to interact with the service. This feature has been part of my old application and hasn't changed in the new update. It’s the same functionality as used by popular wallets like Metamask Uniswap Coinbase Which also employ web3 technology. Over the past two weeks, I've tried to communicate with Apple's support team but have been ignored or received only generic rejection emails. This has left me frustrated and concerned about the time and resources I’ve invested in developing and supporting this app. Could you please help me find a solution? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated!

Hello, I have submitted my app for review what seems like countless times. With my first submission, i created five consumable in app purchases and submitted those for review alongside my build. My app keeps getting rejected because the reviewer cannot find the in app purchase in my app. I keep telling them that my app screen is dynamic and only shows available products. All of my submitted in app purchases are still in the "Waiting for Review" state and therefore do not show up. This is a chicken or the egg scenerio. I need the purchases approved so they show up in the app and can be tested by the reviewer but for whatever reason they are not being approved and the reviewer is only looking at my build and rejecting it. How do others get around this? This seems like a broken process (submitting in app purchases with builds instead of independently). I desperatly want to get out of this submit->rejection cycle.

We sell magazines through a third party app platform called Pocketmags and our website. The magazines have Print, Digital and Combo options available for purchase. Also, this third party app provides the platform to read the digital version of the magazines. Once a user buys a subscription on the website, he/she receives the email with the login information on PocketMags, where he registers his login details and can start reading his subscription. With us, the customer shares his billing/shipping address along with their email id while they make payment. Now we have our own app where through which we want to sell these magazines and have to integrate In-App purchase for selling these digital subscriptions. How do we send the 3rd party subscription access details on email to the user if they do in app purchase?

I am unable to sign in to a Sandbox Apple Account, where this issue occurs only via Simulator. Under Settings > Developer, I tap "Sign In" under Sandbox Apple Account. I enter my account credentials, and after bringing me back to the Developer page, the Sign In button briefly appears as disabled, before being re-enabled, without signing in to the account. (The account credentials are also recognized as correct, as I will receive an alert popup if incorrect.) See screenshots below: After signing in, Sign In button appears disabled... ... then is re-enabled without actually signing in to the account. I have now tried setting up multiple sandbox accounts via App Store Connect with various permutations (no confirmation of Apple Account email, confirming Apple Account email, logging in to iCloud and accepting terms of service), running different device simulators, running simulators on different Mac computers... none of which yield a different result. By contrast, I can sign in to the Sandbox Apple Account without issue on a physical device. The problem occurs only via Simulator.

Hello, I am writing this because the behavior of the App Store Server Notification that our server receives is problematic in the Sandbox environment. I have two questions in total. When purchasing a Free Trial subscription, after receiving the SUBSCRIBED / INITAL_BUY Notification, DID_RENEW should be sent when it expires, but DID_FAIL_TO_RENEW/GRACE_PERIOD is sent. The EXPIRE Notification is sent after the subscription expires or DID_CHANGE_RENEWAL_STATUS/AUTO_RENEW_DISABLED is sent, but it does not arrive. The first problem is that I recently heard that automatic payments after a free trial require the user's consent via email. Is this the reason? If so, I am curious about how I can test it in the Sandbox environment. Is the second problem a bug?

Yesterday I noticed that if I purchase a free trial subscription in my app using a sandbox account, when the subscription expires I see a “Billing Problem” message every time I open the app. ”allow purchases & renewals“ setting is ON so this shouldn’t happen. has anyone else seen this or knows how to resolve? observed on iOS 18.3.2 & 16.7.10 thanks

I have an app which is already on App Store with In-app purchase. Now I want to integrate In-app purchase in my another app for the same products as in the existing app. Both the apps are using same Apple Account. Can I reuse those Product Ids from the first app in the second one. If yes, what is the ways to use them. Thank you in advance.

New subscriptions have been failing to renew in the sandbox for 3 days. I am seeing multiple posts and comments from people that appear to be experiencing the same issue. But I haven't seen any feedback from Apple representatives. I really do not want to launch a new app without seeing functioning renewals in the sandbox. Is there somewhere else we are intended to seek assistance?

Hello everyone, I am facing an issue with in-app subscriptions while submitting my app for review. I have created subscriptions properly in App Store Connect. Coding-wise, everything is implemented correctly on both the application side and backend side. I have ensured that banking and tax information is complete, and all necessary agreements are active. I followed the correct procedure to create and submit subscriptions for review. Problem: App Review Team Can't See Product IDs When I submitted my first Product ID for review with the new app binary, the app got rejected because the App Review team is unable to see the product IDs in the purchase flow. They are trying to make a purchase using Sandbox, but the SKProducts array is coming back empty from the App Store. Since the product IDs are not activated, the app cannot fetch them, leading to a failed purchase attempt. This is causing a loop where the App Review team can't approve the IAP because they can't see the products. Additional Information: The app is not fetching SKProducts even in the development environment. I have verified the Product IDs in App Store Connect, and they exist in the correct App Bundle ID. There are no pending agreements or missing tax/banking details. The in-app purchases have been submitted along with the app for review. Request for Help: Is there any additional step required to activate the subscriptions for App Review? Why might the SKProducts array be empty even in development? Has anyone faced a similar issue, and how did you resolve it? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I am testing sandbox subscribe but I always recieve DID_FAIL_TO_RENEW I try to create new sandbox account and clear purchase history but not work can anyone help?

We're experiencing an issue with in-app purchases in our React Native iOS app where RNIap.getProducts() is consistently returning an empty array, preventing users from making purchases. Technical Details: Using react-native-iap library Product ID: '[REDACTED]' Platform: iOS Product Type: Consumable (one-time payment, NOT subscription) Error in logs: "No products returned from App Store. Check App Store Connect." Debugging shows: Products Fetched: [] Steps to Reproduce: Open app and navigate to the quiz feature Attempt to purchase additional quiz attempts Modal opens but fails to load product information What We've Confirmed: IAP Connection initializes successfully No error is thrown during product fetch, just an empty array returned App is configured with correct Bundle ID Using Apple Sandbox test account We are implementing consumable purchases (one-time payments) Potential Issues to Investigate: Product configuration in App Store Connect Ensure product is set as "Consumable" type in App Store Connect Sandbox tester account permissions/activation Bundle ID matching between app and App Store Connect Product ID case sensitivity or typos

I would like to inquire about an error that has started occurring while debugging AppStore billing. (In sandbox environment) This error occurs after entering a password and completing the purchase process, and in this case, no completion alert appears. The error doesn't seem to depend on the purchase item, sandbox account, or device, and shows unstable behavior - sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. Additionally, this error started occurring after special debugging where the network was disconnected during the purchase process. Moreover, the same error occurs in the TestFlight version of our already released normal (supposedly) version. I think this might be a sandbox-specific error where the system has temporarily become unstable, but what do you think? If so, how can I resolve this issue? I would appreciate your insights on the cause and appropriate response. Error details below: <SKPaymentQueue: 0x283b3d070>: Payment completed with error: Error Domain=ASDErrorDomain Code=500 "(null)" UserInfo={NSUnderlyingError=0x28364d770 {Error Domain=AMSErrorDomain Code=305 "Purchase Failed" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Purchase Failed, AMSStatusCode=200, AMSServerPayload={ "cancel-purchase-batch" = 1; customerMessage = "Unauthorized_message"; failureType = ""; "m-allowed" = 0; pings = ( ); }, NSLocalizedFailureReason=Server canceled the purchase}}, storefront-country-code=JPN, client-environment-type=Sandbox}

I would like to inquire about an error that has started occurring while debugging AppStore billing. (In sandbox environment) This error occurs after entering a password and completing the purchase process, and in this case, no completion alert appears. The error doesn't seem to depend on the purchase item, sandbox account, or device, and shows unstable behavior - sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. Additionally, this error started occurring after special debugging where the network was disconnected during the purchase process. Moreover, the same error occurs in the TestFlight version of our already released normal (supposedly) version. I think this might be a sandbox-specific error where the system has temporarily become unstable, but what do you think? If so, how can I resolve this issue? I would appreciate your insights on the cause and appropriate response. Error details below: <SKPaymentQueue: 0x283b3d070>: Payment completed with error: Error Domain=ASDErrorDomain Code=500 "(null)" UserInfo={NSUnderlyingError=0x28364d770 {Error Domain=AMSErrorDomain Code=305 "Purchase Failed" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Purchase Failed, AMSURL=https://sandbox.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZBuy.woa/wa/inAppBuy?guid=d743a4b05f8f6a6c4f3**********************, AMSStatusCode=200, AMSServerPayload={ "cancel-purchase-batch" = 1; customerMessage = "Unauthorized_message"; failureType = ""; "m-allowed" = 0; pings = ( ); }, NSLocalizedFailureReason=Server canceled the purchase}}, storefront-country-code=JPN, client-environment-type=Sandbox}

Fellow developers, have you ever faced this situation? You’ve worked hard on a cross-platform app, finally ready to launch on the App Store—only to find yourself stuck in an endless policy loop that makes approval impossible. Apple’s “No-Win” Formula Let’s break down Apple’s brilliantly engineered review process: Want to use Apple’s IAP? Sure! But you must first create an in-app purchase (IAP) item. Created an IAP? Not so fast! Apple requires your first IAP to be submitted together with a new app version, but your version 1.0 can’t submit an IAP. Okay, let’s submit 1.0 without IAP first? Nope! Rejected under 3.1.3(b) because your app has in-app purchases on other platforms, so iOS must have them too. Fine, I’ll use a third-party payment system (like WeChat Pay) for now. Nice try! Rejected under 3.1.1 because third-party payment systems aren’t allowed. So, no matter what you do, your app gets rejected. Is This Really a “Mistake”? Or… Apple is a company full of brilliant minds—they surely see this contradiction. This isn’t a bug; it’s a feature. This policy ensures that cross-platform apps are either fully locked into Apple’s IAP or kept out of the App Store entirely. Think about it: If this were just an oversight, why hasn’t it been fixed? Why does Apple remain completely unresponsive to appeals? Why can they adjust policies elsewhere but refuse to budge when it comes to IAP revenue? Developers, What Can We Do? I’ve already sent multiple appeals, all ignored by Apple. If you’ve encountered the same issue, let’s discuss it here. Maybe together, we can find a workaround—or better yet, apply pressure to Apple to explain why launching a cross-platform app on iOS feels less like a review process and more like an impossible puzzle.

Hi, I have a question about Section 3.1.1 of the App Store Review Guidelines regarding In-App Purchases. Is it mandatory to include In-App Purchases in my app? My app is an extension of my website, which has been online for four years and serves a large student base. We offer courses that students purchase through the website. Once purchased, they can access lessons, watch videos, download files, answer quizzes (optional), participate in group chats, and review courses. In the app, users can view all courses and categories, access some free lessons to decide if they want to buy the course, and search for courses—similar to platforms like Udemy. I do not wish to use In-App Purchases or any external payment systems within my app. Instead, I prefer that users purchase courses on the website and then access them via the app. I will not include external links, calls to action, or any mentions that direct users to purchase from the website. Essentially, I plan to inform users that purchases are not supported in the app, and they will understand this implicitly. Is this approach acceptable?

I am an app developer, and I have implemented in-app purchases in my application. When a user completes a purchase, Apple displays a success popup. After the user taps "OK", I send the receiptData to my server to add points to their account. However, I have encountered cases where users either exit the app before tapping "OK" or experience network issues, preventing the receipt from being sent to my server. As a result, they do not receive their points. Later, some users send me a receipt from Apple Pay, claiming that the payment was successful. These receipts include details such as the orderId, email, and other transaction information. However, I am not certain whether the user actually completed the payment but encountered an issue, or if they are providing a fraudulent receipt. My question: How can I verify the authenticity of these receipts? Is there an official way to check if a given Apple Pay invoice corresponds to a real in-app purchase in my app? Any guidance or best practices would be greatly appreciated!

Hello Developers! I am trying to run a test In-App Purchase (IAP) for a renewable subscription product in the sandbox environment. I have set up everything required for sandbox testing, but it’s unclear whether the subscription product needs to be pre-approved by Apple for testing. If approval is required, I have already added the necessary metadata, but the status still shows "Ready for Submit." Additionally, when I save the page, a "Submit for Review" button briefly appears for a fraction of a second on the subscription page before disappearing. Is this button missing, or is there a known issue with this process? This is my first time running this test, and I would appreciate any pointers or suggestions. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I am working on a Unity iOS app. I am adding in-app purchasing in my app. I have added Unity IAP to the Unity project, as well as the code for initialising and purchasing a subscription with the product ID. I have also added my certificates and provisioning profile in Xcode with in-app purchasing capabilities. Also, I have set up an App Store Connect page with a non-renewing subscription with a unique product ID and all required information. The subscription status is ready to submit. I have added a sandbox tester account in it. In unity editor, it is working fine with fake purchase receipt. While testing in an iOS device, apple ID is logged out. But there is an error occurs everytime : IAP not initialized. Also I have uploaded a newer version of app on app store connect, it is in waiting for review status. Is there any step or something I am missing that it is not working in iOS device? Please help