I came across a very popular financial iOS app (top 100 in the US) that uses Plaid to connect to the users bank account. They use this connection to give the user financial alerts/analysis and sometimes loan money.
While testing the app I noticed they offer a premium subscription to get access to more sophisticated features. I clicked the sign up CTA expecting to see the native iOS app payment/subscription confirmation prompt appear, but it didn’t. I brushed it off and thought there must be a bug. The next day I see I’ve been charged for the premium service, but not via Apple. It seems to have been done by an ACH transfer via the Plaid connection.
My question is: is this allowed by Apple? From my research, any type of digital subscription payment must go through the standard Apple in app purchase flow. Am I missing something? Seems very shady to me.
While testing the app I noticed they offer a premium subscription to get access to more sophisticated features. I clicked the sign up CTA expecting to see the native iOS app payment/subscription confirmation prompt appear, but it didn’t. I brushed it off and thought there must be a bug. The next day I see I’ve been charged for the premium service, but not via Apple. It seems to have been done by an ACH transfer via the Plaid connection.
My question is: is this allowed by Apple? From my research, any type of digital subscription payment must go through the standard Apple in app purchase flow. Am I missing something? Seems very shady to me.