IOS app declines due to non-IAP user purchase subscription

Question

I am creating a tool application on the iOS platform. I want to create three levels for users. basic, professional and premium. Each level provides different functions. Thus, the user needs a fee for a pro and premium subscription plan. the difference between the level is the user who can create more document than the basic user.

The fact is that I do not want to use IAP, I do not want Apple to make up 30% of the revenue, so I created a website to allow the user to pay for the subscription via the Internet. I received the application, approved 3 times earlier, without any deviations. but recently the Apple review team rejected my app with follow-up information

From Apple 11.13. Applications that link to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions that will be used in the application, such as the buy button, which is sent to the website to purchase a digital book, will be rejected 11.13 Details

We noticed that your application provides access to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions that will be used in the application, which does not comply with the App Store Review Guide.

I am very sure that I did not have a button or link inside the application to go to the site for payment. My application really captures the subscription level from the API website to limit the user’s function by level. I am not very sure that this is prohibited by Apple. I again check the manual for the Apple review and find

11.14 Applications can read or play approved content (in particular magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video and cloud storage) that are signed or purchased outside the application, if it does not have a button or external link for the application to purchase approved content. Apple will receive only a portion of the revenue for content purchased within the application.

Kindle and dropbox follow 11.14. they removed the IAP from the application and allowed the user to buy content from the website. I can say that they follow 11.14. therefore, the apple approves of it.

But 11.14 only works for magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video, and cloud storage. while I'm not sure if my application belongs to one of them. But my application is very similar to Evernote. Evernote provides payment both on the website and on the IAP.

So my question is: if Evernote removes the IAP from the application and allows the user to buy from the site. will an apple give up on this? If not, then my application should not be rejected.

Answer 1

Ultimately, this is the question you should ask Apple. Different reviews catch different things. Although you may not have a button to send people to your site to pay for a subscription, it seems that the sole purpose of the website is to buy a subscription to the application (if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me), If this is the case, I can fully understand the rejection . Apple wants the purchases made to subscribe to the app to be made in the app, which means going through Apple and handling them using% 30. If you create a website for the sole purpose of circumventing Apple's recommendations, they will eventually notice.

Also, the difference between your application and Evernote from its sounds is that Evernote has other platforms, which include a subscription. The application simply turns out to be another place that the user can extract from the subscription.

At the end of the day, I would basically recommend that you first think about the user experience. I don’t want to shave off% 30, but you can get more subscription by having IAP in your application and giving away% 30, and then having no mechanism for subscribing to applications at all.