Multi-platform purchases

We have the system for which we want to create an iOS app. It is book app and we are not sure if that system of purchase will be approved from Apple Store review team.

  1. App is a multi-platform (Windows, Android, and macOS outside the Apple Store) and people currently buy license codes that unlock the full data. They buy it from the main website and from independent resellers.

  2. Because the app is multi-platform, according to 3.1.3.b (Apple in-App purchase), the iOS version allows users to access the content that they bought for other platforms (Windows, Android, macOS). This is done by giving the option to enter the license code in the EE9 registration sheet in the app.

  3. The iOS app however does NOT let you buy license codes elsewhere, and does not tell users where to buy them. People can only enter the code if they already have it, and no additional information is given on where and how to buy that outside if in-app.

  4. If you don't already have a license code, the only way to buy it is to use in-app purchases.

  5. After a successful in-app purchase, the iOS app uses the in-app purchase system to give full data access to the user, but at the same time it also generates a license code that the user can use in the Windows or Android or macOS versions to get the full data there as well. (After a successful purchase the iOS app uses an API on our backend server, sending it the in-app purchase code, and the backend server "trusts" the iOS app and returns a license code to the app. The app shows the code to the user, and the user can use it on Windows, Android, etc.. If the iOS app is uninstalled and installed again, the system will still work, because our server has associated the in-app purchase code with the app proprietary code system, so whenever required, our server will return the same license code associated to the same in-app purchase code.

  6. In summary, the iOS app allows license owners from other platform to use their code in the iOS app as well, but new users can only buy the license via in-app purchase. And when users buy the license from Apple, they can use it on all other platform as well. The end result is that the same license code will give you full access on all platforms, regardless of which platform you originally bought the code for.