Is IAP mandatory?

Question

Hello everybody,

We are developing an app and wonder if IAP are mandatory in our case. I've read ASRGs' Section 3 but the app is near the limit in my opinion and I would like to have another point of view on the situation.

What is the app about? We are developing a reader app whose content could be accessed both from the app and other sources (website for instance which already exists, none of the source is physical though). On top of that, the subscription to the content can be offered to other people (gifts) which is not possible with IAP. Can someone confirm that IAP are not mandatory in this case even though there is no physical items?

In particular, about the gifts and following 3.1.3: "provided that you agree not to directly or indirectly target iOS users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase, and your general communications about other purchasing methods are not designed to discourage use of in-app purchase". Could we argue that the fact that gifts cannot be performed with IAP makes it an indirect targeting of iOS users to purchase with external method? If so, how should we proceed to allow gifting?

Thanks in advance

In-App Purchase

837

Posted by

arcanite

Reply

Add a Comment

Answer 1

3.1.3 allows reader apps. If that is what you are creating, an app that accesses external content and not an app that unlocks code within the app based on the external content, then you are allowed to purchase that content from outside the app. Within the app you cannot tell the user to go to your website or Visa, etc., to purchase the content. Within the app you cannot tell the user that they can purchase coupons to give the content as a gift to someone else (that's a purchase, not a gift).

So that leaves this question - Within the app can you can allow the user to gift the content to others as long as that is a free gift. I think the answer is no. That is essentially unlocking code within the app, not accessing the content. It is the unlcoked code that gives the other user the ability to access the content. So what can you do? Perhaps you could gift access to your entire account arguing that that is a gift that can be made independent of the purchases in that account - but it's a long shot.

The arguement "...gifts cannot be performed with IAP makes it an indirect targeting of iOS users to purchase with external method" fails for three reasons:1) it is grammatically incorrect and can't be easily interpreted 2) IAP rights can be gifted from one user to another user quite easily and 3) the fact that something cannot be done within a system does not mean you have permission to do it outside of the system (e.g. fraud, larceny, child ****).

Posted by

PBK

Add a Comment

Is IAP mandatory?

Replies