Hello, We are planning to shut down our mobile app service and need to discontinue our auto-renewable subscription product. Our service termination date is July 31, and we are currently preparing the backend implementation for this. We have reviewed the official documentation and Apple Developer Forums, but there are several behaviors we cannot confirm through sandbox testing, as the "Remove from Sale" setting does not appear to affect the sandbox environment. We would greatly appreciate clarification on the following:
- Server notification at the moment of "Cleared for Sale" being unchecked
When we uncheck "Cleared for Sale" in App Store Connect, is any App Store Server Notification (V2) sent to our server immediately at that moment? If yes, what is the exact notificationType and subtype value sent? If no, when is the first notification triggered for existing active subscribers after this action? 2. Notification sequence from product removal through final expiration For existing active subscribers, what is the exact sequence of notificationType and subtype values our server should expect — from the moment we remove the product from sale through the subscriber's final expiration? Based on our research, we believe the sequence may be:
(1) Cleared for Sale unchecked → (2) No immediate notification → (3) At next renewal attempt → EXPIRED with subtype PRODUCT_NOT_FOR_SALE
Could you confirm whether this is correct, or provide the accurate sequence? 3. Whether DID_CHANGE_RENEWAL_STATUS is sent before EXPIRED Is a DID_CHANGE_RENEWAL_STATUS notification sent to our server at the moment of removal from sale, before the EXPIRED notification at the renewal date? If yes, what is the subtype of this notification? 4. Recommended server-side handling per notification For each notification in the sequence above, what is the recommended server-side action? For example:
On EXPIRED with subtype PRODUCT_NOT_FOR_SALE → revoke entitlement immediately? On DID_CHANGE_RENEWAL_STATUS (if sent) → update status only, do not revoke entitlement yet?
- Sandbox testing limitations
We have confirmed that the "Remove from Sale" setting does not affect the sandbox environment. Is there any recommended way to test this scenario before applying it in production? If sandbox testing is not possible for this case, is there any official confirmation of this limitation? We have a fixed service termination schedule and need to ensure our backend handles this correctly. Any clarification or pointers to official documentation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.