App Store guideline 3.1.3: Other Purchase Methods

What it means

• The exceptions are United States storefront apps and the situations covered by 3.1.1(a) and by 3.1.3(a). Outside the app, developers are free to contact their user base outside the app about other ways to pay.
• (a) Reader apps: access to content or subscriptions bought earlier, in these categories only: books, magazines, newspapers, audio, music and video. Reader apps can offer free account sign-up and account management for existing customers. Developers of such apps can request the External Link Account Entitlement, which allows an informational link in the app to a site the developer owns or is responsible for, for creating or managing an account. United States storefront apps do not need the entitlement.
• (b) Multiplatform services: an app that runs on several platforms may let users reach content, subscriptions or features obtained in the app from other platforms or from the developer's website, including consumables in multi-platform games, as long as the same items can also be bought in the app through in-app purchase.
• (c) Enterprise services: an app sold only directly by the developer to organizations or groups, for their staff or students (professional databases and classroom management tools are examples), may give enterprise users access to content or subscriptions bought earlier. Sales to consumers, single users or families must use in-app purchase.
• (d) Person-to-person services: where an app lets people pay for a real-time service between two individuals, such as tutoring, medical consultations, property tours or fitness training, payment may go through other methods. Real-time services for a few people or many people at once must use in-app purchase.
• (e) Goods and services outside of the app: physical goods, or services used outside the app, must be paid for by methods other than in-app purchase, for example Apple Pay or entering a card.
• (f) Free stand-alone apps: a free app serving as a standalone companion of a paid web-based tool for email, VoIP, web hosting or cloud storage does not have to use in-app purchase, so long as nothing can be bought in the app and it carries no call to action to buy elsewhere.
• (g) Advertising management apps: apps whose only purpose is to let advertisers buy and run campaigns across media types do not have to use in-app purchase. They do not show the ads themselves. Digital purchases of content consumed inside an app, including paying to promote posts within the same social media app, must use in-app purchase.

Apple's text

This page is an unofficial explanation in our own words. Unofficial explanation, not affiliated with Apple. Apple's text prevails. Apple's wording is on its page, linked below.

• Apple's App Review Guidelines, guideline 3.1.3

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