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