iOS 15 builds in better customer support for in-app purchases
As part of this week’s launch of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8, Apple also introduced StoreKit 2, a set of APIs for in-app purchases and subscriptions. The new Swift-based tools could help developers better track and support the purchases their users make instead of relying on third-party solutions like RevenueCat.
The kit introduces new APIs to “determine product entitlements and eligibility for offers, quickly get a user’s history of in-app purchases, find out the latest status of a subscription with one simple check,” and most importantly, offer a way for users to manage subscriptions and request refunds in-app. Apple is also updating the App Store server API and App Store server notifications so developers can know when a user’s subscription expires in real time and possibly offer a free extension.
As RevenueCat notes in a blog post breaking down Apple’s changes, StoreKit 2’s features only work when on devices running newer software like iOS 15. Apps that still support older versions of Apple’s OS — and most of them will for quite a while — are encouraged to use the original StoreKit. This divide could grow over time: Apple is allowing users to stay on iOS 14 and just receive security updates, and given how long the company’s products last, there’s likely a lot of old iPads and iPhones kicking around. Luckily, StoreKit 2 and StoreKit are interoperable, “purchases made with the original StoreKit API will still be accessible through the new StoreKit 2 transaction and renewal info APIs,” Apple writes.
These changes could make it a lot easier to offer traditional customer support for the purchases made inside apps. For Apple, they’re another small enticement for developers to provide some kind of in-app purchase or subscription, which financially benefits the company thanks to its increasingly contentious 30 percent cut.
As part of this week’s launch of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8, Apple also introduced StoreKit 2, a set of APIs for in-app purchases and subscriptions. The new Swift-based tools could help developers better track and support the purchases their users make instead of relying on third-party solutions…
