React Native In-App Purchases (iOS) — Part 2

In-app purchases configuration in iOS

shah parth
Simform Engineering
6 min readMay 15, 2024

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In Part 1, we learned about in-app purchases, their types, and their benefits.

This blog categorizes the types of in-app purchases into subscriptions and in-app purchases.

For subscriptions, we will delve into creating products that are either auto-renewable or non-renewable. For in-app purchases, the steps are the same for consumable or non-consumable products. We will also explore setting a grace period in case of payment failures.

In subscriptions, there are two types: auto-renewable and non-renewable.

Subscription

Auto-Renewable Subscriptions

Auto-renewable subscriptions renew automatically until canceled manually. Examples include Apple Music, Netflix, Dropbox, Spotify, and Microsoft 365.

1. Subscription Group

First, you need to initialize a group for a subscription.

Subscription Group

2. Create Subscriptions

After forming a group, create a product. Navigate to the group, and click the “Create” button or the plus (+) icon if you already have a subscription.

Create Subscription

After successfully generating a subscription, provide the necessary information, including:

Subscription Duration: Specify the duration before the subscription expires.

Family Sharing: Enabling this allows other family members to use the subscription without purchasing it again. Note that once enabled, it cannot be disabled.

Subscription Information

3. Availability

Make your subscription available in any 175 countries or regions supported by the App Store.

Subscription Availablity

4. Subscription Price

Configure prices based on the country. Select the country and then the price from the list. You cannot add the price manually.

Subscription Price

After clicking “Next,” you can view and adjust costs for each country as needed.

5. Set Tax Category

Choose the tax category corresponding to your app’s category, which affects the subscription price.

Subscription Tax

6. App Store Localization

Provide localized product information, including the display name and description, for users in different regions or countries.

Subscription Localization

7. App Store Promotion & Review Information

For promotions, upload an image (below 1024 x 1024 pixels) that will appear on your app’s product page when a customer redeems an offer code.

Screenshots in the review section are for Apple reviews only and will not be displayed on the App Store.

App Store Promotion

After completing these steps, press “Save” to add the product.

Non-Renewable Subscriptions

Non-renewable subscriptions expire at the end of your period. You need to purchase them again to continue using them. Examples include Weather Underground, Pocket Casts, and Nova Launcher.

To add non-renewing subscriptions:

1. Manage Subscription
Click “Manage” to access the dashboard where you can add a non-renewing subscription.

Non-Renewing Subscription

2. Create a Non-Renewing Subscription
Select the plus (+) icon to add a reference name and product ID for the new subscription. After creating the product, you can view and modify its information.

Create Non-Renewing Subscriptions

After creating the product, you can view and modify its information.

Non-Renewing Subscriptions Information

3. Availability

Make your subscription available in any 175 countries or regions supported by the App Store.

Non-Renewing Subscriptions Availablity

4. Price Schedule

Set prices based on the subscription and the country’s rates.

In-App Purchase Pricing

5. Set Tax Category

Choose the appropriate tax category for your app that affects the subscription price.

Tax Category for Non-Renewing Subscriptions

6. App Store Localization

Provide a display name and description for the subscription, which will appear in the purchase pop-up box.

App Store Localization

7. App Store Promotion & Review Information

Upload an image for the App Store promotion and provide screenshots for Apple reviews.

App Store Promotion & Review Information

In-App Purchases

In-app purchases have two types: consumable and non-consumable.

Consumable means users can buy and use items that disappear after use and require repurchase. Non-consumable means that users buy it once and use it indefinitely.

Go to your App Store Connect account, select your application, and navigate the In-App Purchases section under MONETIZATION.

App Dashboard

1. Create an In-App Purchase

Click the plus (+) icon to add a product, selecting either consumable or non-consumable. Enter the reference name and product ID.

Create In-App Purchase

2. Family Sharing and Availability

For non-consumable items, you can enable Family Sharing, allowing users to share the purchase across family members’ accounts. Once enabled, this cannot be disabled.

You can also choose to make your in-app purchases available in any supported country or region.

In-App Purchase Availability

3. In-App Purchase Pricing

Select the country first to set a price. Prices cannot be manually set but must be chosen from the dropdown list. Adjust prices for different countries as needed.

In-App Purchase Price

4. Set Tax Category

Choose the tax category for your app, affecting the in-app purchase price.

In-App Purchase Tax Category

5. App Store Localization

If your app targets users from different regions or countries, provide localized product information, including the display name and description.

In-App Purchase Localization

6. App Store Promotion & Review Information

For promotions, upload an image (below 1024 x 1024 pixels) that will appear on your app’s product page when a customer redeems an offer code.

Screenshots in the review section are for Apple reviews only and will not be displayed on the App Store.

In-App Purchase App Promotion

After successfully defining in-app purchases, upload a build with a billing library to enable it.

Billing Grace Period

A billing grace period allows subscribers to keep access to your app’s paid content even if their subscription expires due to a billing issue for a selected time period.

Subscription Grace Period

Conclusion

In this section, we outlined the steps for creating subscription and in-app purchase products, as well as setting a grace period for payment failures.

In Part 3, we’ll cover the steps for integrating in-app purchases and subscriptions on Android.

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shah parth
Simform Engineering

I am react-native developer at Simform Software LLP