I'm developing a website and a companion iPhone app where users can purchase video content. I'd like to let users buy content from the iPhone app or the website, and then view their purchased content through either medium. My understanding is that the app will be rejected from the App Store unless it uses the StoreKit framework for in-app purchases, so I can't implement my own purchase backend. As far as I can tell, though, there's no such thing as a web version of the StoreKit framework.
Is there any way to make/verify "in-app purchases" from outside an app, e.g. through a website?
There must be, because the DC Comics/Comics/Marvel Comics apps from Comixology all do. You can purchase content either from the in-app store, or via the website. And then you can read the content both in the device or online.
Alas, I don't know how they did it. I guess that the web shop replicates the in-app purchases when you buy something: i.e., the device calls home after an in-app purchase and adds that purchase to your online account as well. And, when you buy something online, you can download it from within the app, bypassing the apple store. You can even download content in one app that was purchased in the other (they are mostly the same app with different branding)
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I'm making an app for a certain museum. Some parts of the app should be restricted only for visitors purchasing tickets with a code printed on them.
This code can used to get access to the restricted parts of the app.
Is it something apple can reject?
There is no way apple can reject your app. It has changed strict guidelines of its iOS developer agreement to allow in-app subscriptions outside the App Store.
The App Store Review Guidelines states the following:
11.14 Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content. Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues for approved content that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app.
Regarding Feb 2018 version of App Store Review Guidelines 3.1.1 this is not possible for now.
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#payments
3.1.1 In-App Purchase: If you want to unlock features or functionality within your app, (by way of example: subscriptions, in-game
currencies, game levels, access to premium content, or unlocking a
full version), you must use in-app purchase. Apps may use in-app
purchase currencies to enable customers to “tip” digital content
providers in the app. Apps and their metadata may not include buttons,
external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to
purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase.
I have a question regarding the apple licence over in-app purchases
I have the following scenario: I have a site that is a store of avatars (just like a mii or a xbox live avatar) where my users can buy items, just like hats or tshirts … all kinds of virtual goods for an avatar.
I want to make a game for iphone were you can load this avatar.
In this app, you login using you user account (I mean the user I have registered in my site), then your avatar is loaded and thats all.
As far as I know, I am not allowed to buy things if they are not bought using the apple in-app purchase system.
but certainly my users will be buying lots and lots of other things for their avatars in my site.
So the question is, will my app be allowed to be in the apple store?
I have read enough and I think that if I doesn't mention anywhere in the iphone app, that an external store exist, my app will be allowed or not?
If they can buy content outside of the application that will be used inside of the application, that's usually fine so long as the application doesn't provide a link for them to buy from outside of the App Store. If somebody can tap a button in your application and be taken to your website where you can buy things for use in the application, Apple will probably reject it.
I am in a development team debating whether we should process subscriptions for premium content
1) on our online community web site or
2) in our iPhone app via the In-app purchase feature.
The question we still have is:
If a member of our online site (registered member) downloads the iPhone app (as another way to interact with our online content) and decides to purchase the "Premium" features via the iPhone in-app purchase feature (unlocking new content on the iPhone app)
Can our servers then know that this member has upgraded via the app and in response unlock content on our web site, too?
The store sends the app a message whenever a user makes an in app purchase, so your app could react to the message by sending a message to your server. The question I would have is whether the contract with Apple would permit this, particularly if the user could buy the content on the web site without paying Apple and then access it through the app.
I need to build an Store app that can be used to install a few apps that I've developed. I'm planning to do this using in-app purchasing. i.e. the user can purchase the new apps from my store. Is this possible?
No. The iOS security sandbox will prohibit installing any additional apps from your app. Only apps purchased from Apple's iTunes App store can be installed on a customer's device (except for a developers own devices, and a very limited number of beta test users).
You might be able to sell access to web apps, which a user would have to manually clip as web clippings onto their device (they can't be auto installed). But Apple may or may not accept an app which sells those web clippings, so you'd might have to figure out a way to sell them from your web site.
It would ultimately have to link to the app store to do the app downloads. In-app purchasing is just that...in your apps. You can set up a store, but if you want them to be installed as separate apps on the user's phone, you will just have to link to the app store.
Apple most likely won't allow it.
if you are using your "store" app to distribute full apps, instead of just additions to your store app, it DEFINITELY won't pass.
It would be circumventing their distribution system (and 30% cut) and they won't like that very much.
No, your app can't install other apps directly, but you can use an app store url to send your customers to any of your other apps in the app store. There's more info in this SO thread.
It would be a different story if you were working under the enterprise or ad hoc distribution models, in which case you could link to your apps on a web server and install them over the air. But given that you're talking about in-app purchase, it's pretty clear that you're distributing under the standard distribution model.
If your other apps just deliver new content, what you should do is build an universal app that handles all your content and then let the user download new and different content using in-app purchasing. Then you end up with an app similar to iBook, that offers different content, but the same user interface.
One option is to ship your "parent" app with all the content for "children" apps, albeit encrypted. Use in-app purchasing to decrypt "children" content.
I am currently building an app for an existing and large Royalty Free music library. They sell stock music to be used in productions/websites/commercials etc. What they sell is the license to use the music in your production.
What they want to build is an iPhone and iPad app that is basically an extension of their website. Users can browse and purchase music through the app. I am building a web service to connect to the existing website and will most likely use Webview to handle payment via PayPal. The user is then sent a download link for their music via email after successful purchase
The question I have is whether Apple will reject due to the way we are selling goods. This is an already established business and the iphone apps are just an extension of that.
Any help is really appreciated.
If you sold using in-app purchase (30% to Apple) they would probably accept it. Otherwise not, and you should stick with a web app (which you could highly customize for the iPhone/iPad).
Most likely would get rejected. One option might be to use the iPhone app to browse and sample the tracks, but link out to a mobile safari web page to complete the transaction.
It will definitely get rejected.
My app had a link to our website that had a puchase link. They rejected the app for that too.
Buying directly from the app is not allowed.