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what happens if I convert a subscription app to a free app in the App Store?

  • 12 August 2024
  • 3 replies
  • 42 views

My company’s business model is changing, and part of the plan is to change our iOS subscription app to a free app. Preferably this will be a smooth experience for existing users.

The app’s history:

  1. Available in TestFlight. Fewer than 100 beta testers.
  2. Public release as a fixed price paid app in the App Store. Beta testers got the app free.
  3. Change from fixed price app to monthly/annual subscription app with a free trial. Pre-existing users given free lifetime subscription.
  4. (Planned) Change from a subscription app to a completely free app.

What’s the most straightforward way to convert the app from subscription to free? I’d like to know what changes to make in the App Store, and what changes to make in RevenueCat.

The code changes within the app seem straightforward enough: remove the paywall, modify the storyboards, remove calls such as Purchases.shared.getOfferings { … }, and so on.

Once the app has been changed from subscription to free, what happens to current subscribers? For example, would a subscriber who just started an annual subscription receive a refund via the App Store?

Would the refund come from the business bank account tied to the App Store for user purchases?

Later we may introduce in-app purchases for some features later, but that isn’t certain. For now, the plan is to make the app free and then refactor the code with the assumption that the core features will remain free.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

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A related post describes moving a subscription app to a free app, but keeping certain screens (specific features) behind a paywall:


Maybe the conversion from subscription to free would be equivalent to removing all products from the App Store.

 

Hi @gary-bat,

This is a very interesting case since it doesn’t happen very often.

I would recommend you to, as you mentioned as well, remove all your products from sale from App Store Connect. Doing so you it will cancel your user’s subscriptions refunding them for what they paid for. I don’t know for sure but I would assume the refund would come from the same bank account where Apple deposit the funds.

The steps would look something like:

  • Put a version of the app out with no paywalls, no checking subscription status, etc.
  • Remove the products from sale on App Store Connect.
  • If you have the option, email your users and let them know about these changes just in case Apple hasn’t refund them so they can claim the refund themselves.

Let me know if this helps!

@joan-cardona, thanks for your reply.

Rather than be too hasty, perhaps I’ll just focus on the first step: spin off a separate, free version of the app. Then I can compare analytics from the free and paid versions of the app.

On a related note, I found a RevenueCat blog post about refunds that was updated in early June:
https://www.revenuecat.com/blog/growth/does-apple-keep-its-commission/

 

Hi @gary-bat,

Yeah that sounds like a good plan to me, doing it step by step and making sure it all works correctly at each time is the way to go.

That’s a very good article from David! Thanks for sharing it, I think it’s useful and related to his conversation.

 

Best,

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