Providing expiring consumables for generative AI apps

Generative AI is now a core part of many app experiences, allowing people to create, produce, and innovate like never before. With that, developers are looking for new ways to let people choose how much inference and compute they need. Apps that meet certain criteria can now request an entitlement to offer expiring consumables through Apple In‑App Purchase.

App requirements

Your app must be available on the App Store and offer consumable Apple In‑App Purchases, such as credits, tokens, or other units that unlock generative AI services. Expiring consumables must have a minimum expiration term of 12 months, unless otherwise required by local law.

Examples of qualifying expiring consumables:

  • Credit packs of 20, 50, or 200, where the credits are used toward AI‑generated imagery.
  • “Top-up” tokens that may be purchased once someone has used their generative AI allocation.
  • Additional feature usage that’s charged by the output, for example, minutes of AI‑generated text to speech, seconds of AI‑generated video, or amount of text reviewed and summarized by AI.

Apps qualify only if their credits, tokens, or other units provide access to generative AI services. Credits for non-AI content or services don’t qualify

Customer transparency requirements

If your app receives the entitlement, you must do the following to ensure people understand what they’re buying and when it expires:

  • Show the expiration term on your paywall. Display the expiration terms next to the price or purchase button, so customers know before they buy when their credits will expire.
  • Describe what credits can be used for. Your paywall should explain which services and functionality use the credits.
  • Show people their current balance in your app. Your app must clearly show customers how much of a consumable Apple In‑App Purchase they have left, either as a number of credits or as a percentage.
  • Use the oldest credits first. When someone has multiple purchases, apply the balance that expires soonest before using newer credits.
  • Send expiration reminders by email. If someone has a remaining balance, give them advance notice by emailing them 30 days and 7 days before the expiration date.

App Review will verify that your app meets these requirements when you submit your qualifying expiring consumable purchases. To help inform and improve the refund process you can implement the Send Consumption API, which allows you to send consumption information related to a customer’s In‑App Purchase when they request a refund to Apple.

Request an entitlement

If your app meets the required use cases, you may submit a request for an entitlement to provide expiring consumables via Apple In‑App Purchase. You’ll need to be an Account Holder in the Apple Developer Program. You’ll be asked to provide information related to your app and Apple In‑App Purchases, as well as agree to the program’s terms and conditions.

Request form

Q&A

What is a qualifying expiring consumable?

A qualifying expiring consumable is a prepayment, in the form of credits, tokens, or other units, that customers use for AI-powered services to produce an output, such as an image or synthesized speech. Qualifying expiring consumables must be offered as an Apple In‑App Purchase.

Can I convert my existing Apple In‑App Purchases to expiring consumables?

No. Expiring consumables must be created as new Apple In‑App Purchases so App Review can confirm they meet the requirements. You can’t convert or repurpose existing In‑App Purchases.

Can I offer a subscription that includes credits for generative AI services?

Yes. For example, you can offer an auto-renewable subscription with a monthly allowance of up to 500 credits. Those included credits aren’t expiring consumables. Your app must use the credits allotted from someone’s subscription before using the expiring consumables.

If I receive this entitlement, can every consumable Apple In-App Purchase I sell expire?

No. Only consumables which unlock generative AI services are eligible to be offered as expiring consumables. For example, if your app offers credits that can be used to purchase stock photography while offering a different type of credit to create AI-generated images, only the AI-generated image credits are eligible to expire. The stock image consumable purchases can’t be expired.