Error fixes / App Store
App Store
App Store: digital unlock did not use in-app purchase
Review found a digital purchase path, such as a web checkout or a licence key, for something used inside the app.
The error
Guideline 3.1.1 - Business - Payments - In-App Purchase We noticed that the app unlocks features or subscriptions inside the app, but those purchases do not use in-app purchase.
What it means
Guideline 3.1.1 says features, subscriptions, premium content and a full-version unlock inside the app have to use in-app purchase. Apps may not use their own mechanisms, such as licence keys, to unlock that content. A Stripe payment link on the paywall is the usual pattern in an app built from a web product. Physical goods, and services consumed outside the app, are not the same rule. Reader apps and external-purchase entitlements are narrow exceptions. Do not treat a normal web form as one of them. The same guideline also asks for a restore mechanism for restorable purchases.
Fix
- Read the paywall in the rejected build and note what the payment unlocks. If it is used in the app, move that sale to StoreKit.
- Create the product in App Store Connect, finish the metadata, and set the status to Ready to Submit.
- Attach a first-time product to the version you submit, then test buy and restore with a sandbox account.
- Remove buttons that send people to the website to buy the same digital access.
- If the charge is for a physical service, explain that in the review notes and keep any digital extra on in-app purchase.
Prompt
Fix prompt
App Review cited Guideline 3.1.1 because a digital feature is unlocked without in-app purchase. Find the paywall and any web checkout or licence-key unlock for in-app content. Switch that path to StoreKit using product ids I will provide. If the ids are not in the project, list the unlocks and stop. Keep a Restore Purchases action on that screen. Do not print keys.
Questions
Can I keep Stripe for the same subscription?
Not for digital access used inside the iOS app. Guideline 3.1.1 requires in-app purchase for that unlock. Stripe can remain for a different product that is not delivered in the app, such as a physical service.
Does a restore button matter if I switch to StoreKit?
Yes. Guideline 3.1.1 also says you should have a restore mechanism for restorable in-app purchases. Put it on the paywall and test it in sandbox.
The product exists but the reviewer could not find it. Is that the same rule?
The purchase rule is 3.1.1. If the product is missing from the version or does not load, review also cites 2.1(b), which says configured purchases must be visible and working. Attach the product to the version and test it.