Apple Introduces Subscription Codes for Developers

Apple today informed developers about an upcoming Subscription Code feature that's designed to allow developers to offer up discounted or free auto-renewable subscriptions to lure customers.

apple developer banner

Later this year, you'll be able to acquire, retain, and win back subscribers with subscription offer codes: unique, alphanumeric codes that provide free or discounted prices for auto-renewable subscriptions. Provide your one-time use codes digitally or offline at physical events, alongside products, and more. Customers on iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 and later can redeem offer codes on the App Store, through a one-time code redemption URL, or within your app if you've implemented the presentCodeRedemptionSheet API.

Apple says that developers can give customers unique, alphanumeric codes that are one time use, provided at digital or physical events, alongside products, and more. Subscription codes are an iOS and iPadOS 14 feature and are coming later this year.

More information about Subscription Codes can be found on Apple's developer website.

Top Rated Comments

randolorian Avatar
48 months ago
Just what Apple customers are asking for -- more ways to rent software.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
filchermcurr Avatar
48 months ago
"...able to acquire, retain, and win back subscribers..."

The wording of this makes me feel like the dirty, cheap commodity that I am.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
48 months ago

Just what Apple customers are asking for -- more ways rent software.
Well it’s what Apple is asking for. They want developers on subscription models since they get a cut of it. 30% of a monthly fee is better than 30% of a one time purchase.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dvanwinkle Avatar
48 months ago
What is this thing that they speak of, offline and "physical events". Are people still gathering together and *eek* handing things to other people?!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rwxx Avatar
48 months ago

Too bad the subscription model for software is here to stay ?
I think the subscription model has a lot of advantages. The problem is, most developers aren’t pricing their apps appropriately given the new model. An app that might have cost $50 to buy is suddenly $50/year. It’s ridiculous. Developers need to get real and stop overcharging (I’m looking at you 1Password) or customers will continue to resist the subscription model.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
48 months ago

This is all free, right? I just get this for free?

Is Apple afraid of not earning enough...?!
[LIST=1]
* Apple continues to invest into Research and Development to make the App Store *better* for developers. This costs money.
* Developers complain about having to pay for new features and services.


Hey, I'm all for discussing adjustments to the 30%, but to expect Apple to operate without any revenues is unreasonable.

* Paid apps make revenue via store purchases.
* Free apps make revenue via ad impressions.
* Developers expect Apple to operate without revenues?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...