Apple states in its App Store Review Guidelines "Apps using IAP to purchase physical goods or goods and services used outside of the application will be rejected". So is it then legal to implement other payment services than Apple's In-App-Purchase to buy physical goods? I could imagine services like PayPal, Amazon or Google Checkout but don't have any experience with those and if they are usable within iPhone Apps.
You can indeed use outside services.
PayPal's Express Checkout for Mobile Devices definitely works this way.
That I've been able to determine, neither of Amazon's mobile payment systems allows for true in-app integration; instead you'd have to use a UIWebView and have the user checkout through the web while inside your app.
You should be fine if you use a UIWebView. Apple states that charity apps must use Safari Mobile, so I assume that this is similar. Just display a UIWebView in place and have it load your web form.
There is a nordic company named, "DIBS A/S" which have a mobile paymentwindow.
In this case you both need an agreement with DIBS and a acquirer agreement.
So depending on how many transactions you are exepting to have, maybe paypal is cheaper for a small amount of transactions.
Their service can properly be used in a UIWebView. :)
Here is a link: www.dibs.com
Related
I am a bit confused about this. I am using Appmobi to develop a photo app. The customer uploads some photos from his device and order several copies (it's for a small local photo store)
Well, I see that if I want to pay the order inside the app, Apple gets the 30% of it (this store gains around 15%), so this model is not possible. I found that I can launch an external link from the app (in Appmobi framework via AppMobi.device.launchExternal or AppMobi.device.showRemoteSite) I can place the order on a server and launch an external link with the info to Paypal, but... Does anyone know if this break the Apple TOS? The store sells a physical object (photos), so I think this is permitted.
Thanks in advance
You'd have a hard time getting something like that approved. Apple is very reluctant to approve any links to Paypal or other external payment providers, even for small businesses providing local goods. What you could do instead, is have the customer pay for the photos in the store, or increase the price to account for Apple's 30% cut. I don't have experience selling local goods like that, but I am fairly positive Apple won't allow that. You can always try, though!
From what I understand
If a service can be consumed by your phone (Digital/Virtual goods etc) there're restrictions on how you can pay. (Apple will almost always require you to pay using IAP or not provide a system for payments at all (i.e. users will top-up on a website, but the app can't have a link pointing users to it. Checkout Kindle, Skydrive etc.)
If a service can't be consumed on the phone itself (physical items like printed photos) then you can't use IAP for payments and must you external payment providers such as Paypal et al.
There're examples on this similar post If I use the PayPal gateway in my iPhone app, will Apple approve it?
I have an iPhone app where I have a list of items to be sold. For the payment of these items, I have a web service on my sponsor's server that needs to be utilized by sending certain parameters such as amount, userid, discount coupons etc. So should I invoke this in a web view inside the application or should it be invoked in the web-browser? The sponsorer wants to show a message as payment successful or not in the application after everything is done. this information comes from the server itself. But if I invoke the browser i will not be able to track this information about payment successful or not? What should I do? Please help me with this
This is particularly interesting with regards to iOS as it gives app developers a fairly easy way to implement an alternative payment solution to the App Store, something that doesn’t infringe on Apple’s in-app purchasing policy if the goods being sold are physical not digital. It’s this scenario that Adyen is targeting.
As for the payment method itself, it accepts credit cards, PayPal and a range of other payments within mobile applications (native apps) and mobile websites. Of course, offering a HTML (browser-based) version of an app or service rather than a dedicated iOS app is another way of bypassing Apple’s cut.
Other benefits of Adyen’s payment platform is that merchants and developers can take advantage of a “fully integrated service that removes the burden of security and PCI compliance”, says the company. In addition, app developers can “skin” the mobile payment and checkout process, gaining control of the look and feel, which is said to be an important driver for increased conversion rates.
Merchants already using the new mobile payment platform include Pathe, the largest chain of cinemas in the Europe, via its iPhone app, and Greetz, the online greetings card retailer.
I want to make an app that lets a vendor sell gift cards through the app to the vendor's store. Does anyone know which PayPal SDK I would use?
I'm hoping for guidance based on experience here, which is easiest to work with and simplest.
Also does anyone know if there's a paypal alternative with an SDK?
Thanks!
Following on from my comment above, the rules are not clear and are therefore open to interpretation (and Apple's interpretation always supersedes anyone else's)
11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an app will be rejected
A gift card could be interpreted as a service, PayPal interpreted as a system other than IAP
11.3 Apps using IAP to purchase physical goods or goods and services used outside of the application will be rejected
Therefore you can't use IAP's to purchase your gift cards
11.13 Apps that link to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the app, such as a “buy” button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book, will be rejected
Here external mechanism could easily refer to alternate payment providers, so that rules out using PayPal.
As you mention giftcards, the following clause may also be relevant as a gift card could be interpreted as a credit or even a virtual currency
11.4 Apps that use IAP to purchase credits or other currencies must consume those credits within the application
My company provides eCommerce solution for our customers. We host their web site where their customers buy some stuff. Our eCommerce solution takes their credit card information and processes it via payment gateway.
Now we want to create iPhone app for our customers somewhat duplicating functionality of their web sites. Similar to what Amazon.com app does. Provide native interface to browse items and then have ability to purchase them (again, I think Amazon.com application does that).
But I was reading stories how Apple usually rejects such applications if product if not going via in-App purchases. Or is it only for digital stuff?
Any thoughts on how likely such app will be rejected or approved?
Many apps have been approved and many apps have been rejected. I don't believe it is limited to just digital stuff.
I believe its just depends who reviews your application. It doesn't seem like there is an official rule about it. I think if there is a good reason for credit cards instead of an in-app purchase then your more likely to pass apple's approval process.
But your guaranteed way of getting it approved is to make everything an in-app purchase, so if you can use in-app purchase then do it.
"AT&T myWireless" app does exactly what you want.
Besides there are a lot of Credit Card Processing apps in the AppStore.
So in case your app is not approved you can always point out AT&T's app
and say "Hey, why can they do that and I don't??"
and they can always reply... or not actually
If the mobile solution is generic for so many mobile platforms like J2ME, Android, iPhone etc, then it does not make sense to change the payment mechanism for one platform alone. So InApp purchase may not be an option for most of the cases. I believe Apple understands it and approves the apps accordingly.
Can an iPhone app allow a user to purchase a physical product (say a pen or a mouse) from inside an app, without using Apple in app purchase?
Is it allowed by Apple?
If yes, do you know any API that supports this?
Thanks
AJ
You are not permitted to sell physical goods or services using 'In-App Purchasing' since the goods purchased via this method must relate directly to the app using them.
You are free to implement your own payment handling system for selling physical goods though - for instace the PayPal API
If you already have a website for this purpose you could even forward them to that to take the payment - though this may reduce the quality of the user experience greatly.
Yes, but you can't use Apple payments to do it. All of the apps use their own payment processor to do it (Paypal, Google Checkout, Amazon Payments, etc).
They each have API's -- there is some code for PayPal in this question
Has anyone implemented the PayPal API through a native iPhone app?
You cannot use these mechanisms to deliver a digital good to the app (features or content), but you can use it for physical goods (as you wanted to).
Yes,
It is allowed to sell physical goods related to the app in-app on iOS and Android. Here is one interesting startup that handle logistics - http://www.sellinapp.com (for physical items). They use http://www.ZooZ.com as a payment gateway.
Hope this helps.
From Apple In App Purchase we can't able to purchase physical items or services, allowed only Digital Goods and services.
Ref:
https://developer.apple.com/in-app-purchase/In-App-Purchase-Guidelines.pdf
See 5th page.
Other than Apple , many third party gateway are there to do.
https://www.paypal.com/
http://www.sellinapp.com
http://www.zooz.com/
https://stripe.com/
http://www.ccavenue.com/
For PayPal SDK: https://github.com/paypal/PayPal-iOS-SDK/