Apple has brought some big changes to the refund process for in-app purchases including notifications for developers that are live now with seven different options for how to take action. Other changes to the App Store include Family Sharing now being an option for in-app purchase subscriptions, in-app purchases on Apple Watch, and more.
Apple details the all-new changes to in-app purchases in the App Store one of its longer WWDC talks “What’s new with in-app purchase.”
The biggest change here is that in-app purchase refund notifications for developers are available now (turn on in App Store Connect) and aim to make a better experience for customers and devs alike.
Once you receive a push notification about a customer receiving an in-app purchase refund, there are seven different actions you can take as a developer ranging from moderate to severe:
One of the new ways Apple is hoping to improve the in-app purchase refund experience is allowing developers to send in-app messages to customers. In addition to the WWDC talk covering this, you can find more details on using the new notifications and actions here.
Another notable update covered in this talk is the ability to let customers use Family Sharing for in-app purchase subscriptions. One important note, Apple says that once this is turned on by a developer, it can’t be turned off.
For more on in-app purchases on Apple Watch, a new flow for subscription price increases, and more, be sure to check out the 45-minute WWDC session here.
Apple’s recommended related resources:
- App Clips
- App Store Connect Resources and Help
- App Store Server Notifications
- Auto-Renewable Subscriptions
- Developing a Great App Clip
- Enabling Server-to-Server Notifications
- Handling Refund Notifications
- Handling Subscriptions Billing
- Have a question? Ask with tag wwdc20-10661
- In-App Purchase
- Recommending an App Clip’s Corresponding App
- Search the forums for tag wwdc20-10661
- Setting Up Subscription Offers
- StoreKit
- Validating Receipts with the App Store
