About In-App Purchases

Many of your favorite free and paid apps and games offer in-app purchases, which are optional transactions that change an app’s functionality or unlock digital goods, content or services. You can find out if an app offers in-app purchases by visiting its product page on the App Store. Just look for the “In-App Purchases” message near the Get or Price button.

There are four types of in-app purchases:

1. Consumable purchases (items are used once, are depleted, and can be purchased again, such as lives or gems in a game)
2. Non-consumable purchases (premium features that are purchased once and don’t expire, such as additional game levels or photo filters)
3. Auto-renewing subscriptions (access to content or services for which you are charged on a recurring basis, such as ongoing access to streaming video content or cloud storage)
4. Non-renewing subscriptions (access to content or services for a limited time and does not renew automatically, such as a season pass to streaming content)

You must enter a password or use Touch ID to make an in-app purchase. If you use a password, you can set your preferences so that a password is required for every transaction or every 15 minutes. Setting your preferences to require a password every 15 minutes lets you make additional in-app purchases for 15 minutes without reentering your password.

If you use Touch ID, it’s required for every transaction.

Some apps offer subscription-based access to their content. Unlike single-item purchases, subscriptions will automatically renew until you choose to end them. If you wish to view, change, or cancel your subscriptions, you can easily change renewal settings from your device. On your Mac go to the Mac App Store, then click the profile icon or your photo in the lower left corner to view your Account Information (if you’re not already signed in, authenticate with your Apple ID). Under the Manage section, to the right of Subscriptions, click Manage to see your subscriptions, and click on the app name or Edit to view your subscription. Use the options to manage your subscription. You can choose a different subscription offering, or click Cancel Subscription to cancel your subscription. If you cancel, your subscription will stop at the end of the current billing cycle.

When you purchase an auto-renewing subscription from a third-party developer, we create a randomly generated Subscriber ID that is unique to you and that developer. Developers use this Subscriber ID, as well as sales information, to understand their product’s performance. If you cancel all of your subscriptions with a particular developer and don’t resubscribe within 180 days, your Subscriber ID will be deleted.