iOS In-App Products

In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up In-App Purchases (products) in your Apple Developer Account, so that you can link them to the In-App Products you create in your BuddyBoss App settings.

Before you begin, you must have first connected your Apple Developer account and configured your iOS app in the BuddyBoss App’s settings.

Agreements, Tax and Banking

The first thing you need to do is set up the agreements, tax and banking information that Apple requires before you can sell in-app purchases on iOS devices.

1. Log into App Store Connect
2. Click on Business. Then, click on your legal identity name.
3. In the Agreements tab, agree to all terms, entering all required information.
4. Under Paid Apps, click on Set Up Tax, Banking, and Contacts
5. Click on Add Bank Account to add your bank account to receive proceeds from app sales
   • Be advised that Apple will deduct a 15% commission on all sales up to one million US dollars. After sales reach this point, the commission rises to 30%. For subscription products, Apple’s commission drops to 15% after the first year.
6. Click on Complete Tax Forms and enter all data carefully for your business
7. Under Contacts, add contact information for each contact type
8. You can now begin adding In-App Purchases

Create an In-App Purchase (Product)

If you haven’t yet submitted a version of your app to the store with an in-app product included, your first in-app purchase must be submitted with a new version of your app. This means, if your app is already published, you’ll need to generate a new build of it and publish that version.

After you publish a version of your BuddyBoss with your first in-app purchase included, you can add more in-app purchases in the future, without Apple requiring you to submit a whole new app version. However, each new product will need to be reviewed by Apple before it is available in the iOS versions of your app.

1. Log into App Store Connect
2. Click on Apps and then select your app
3. In the sidebar under Monetization, click

• In-App Purchases (to create non-subscription products)
  • Consumable
    • This product type is used once, after which it becomes depleted and must be purchased again.
    • There isn’t a use case for this in BuddyBoss App, so you shouldn’t use this product type.
  • Non-Consumable
    • This product type is purchased once and does not expire.
    • Example: Membership or course that is purchased once and never expires.
• Subscriptions (to create subscriptions)
  • Auto-Renewable Subscription
    • This product type allows users to purchase content for a set period, renewing automatically unless cancelled by the user.
    • Example: Monthly subscription for a membership or course.
    • This product type needs to be added to a Subscription Group. Users can only subscribe to one subscription product within a subscription group at a time but can change subscriptions within the group as often as they like. This is useful for selling related subscription tiers (eg. Bronze, Silver, Gold) and for selling variations in subscription durations (eg. Monthly, Yearly).
  • Non-Renewing Subscription
    • This product type allows users to purchase content for a limited duration, which will not renew automatically.
    • Example: Membership or course that will expire and not renew automatically.

Note: You need to create a subscription group before you can create subscription products. Just click the add button (+), enter a reference name, and click Create.

4. To start creating a product, click the add button (+) or Create.
5. Enter a Reference Name
   • This will be used as a reference to identify your product in your Apple Developer Account. It won’t be shown to your members in the Apple App Store or used in your app.
6. Enter a Product ID
   • It’s recommended you use the same reverse format as in your Bundle ID, but instead of using your app name at the end, use your product name.
7. If this is a subscription product, enter a Subscription Duration
8. Under Subscription Prices, click the (+) symbol
   • Enter your app’s main currency
   • Select a price from the options provided. Apple will convert this to other currencies automatically.
9. Click Save, and then navigate back to the product’s main edit page.
10. Under Localizations, click the (+) symbol
    • Select the main language for your app
    • Enter a Subscription Display Name
    • Enter a Description
    • Click Save
11. You can optionally click (+) again to add additional display names for other languages.
12. Under Review Information, add information to assist Apple with their review of your product:
    • Upload a screenshot of your product.
      • The image should be 640 x 920 pixels.
      • If it’s for a course, show a screenshot of the course in your app.
      • If it’s for a membership, show a screenshot of some content in your app that is only accessible when they purchase this product.
    • Enter Review Notes explaining the product.
      • What the product is (for example, a course that teaches members how to play guitar)
      • How your product is accessing your app (for example, how to get to the course or by explaining which areas are unlocked via the product)
      • How to access the product screen in your app (for example, login to app, go to More Tab, and select Products)
13. Click Save in the upper right.
14. The product status should change to Ready to Submit.
    • You will only be able to select the product from your BuddyBoss App plugin settings if it has reached the Ready to Submit status.
    • For the product to be purchasable in your release app, you will need to submit it and wait for Apple to approve it. Until approval, it can be visible in your release app by admins only, and cannot yet be purchased through Apple’s in-app purchase system.
15. Add subscription group localization (if a subscription product is created). In Subscriptions, click the subscription group name and click the add button (+) next to App Store localizations. Follow the prompts and click Add after putting in the required information.

Enter the URL for App Store server notifications

App Store Server Notifications provide information about key events related to your in-app purchases, such as changes to a subscription’s status or the refund of an in-app purchase. In order to receive these notifications from the App Store, you must provide a URL in App Store Connect that links to your server.

1. Log into App Store Connect
2. Click on My Apps and then select your app
3. Under General, click App Information
4. Scroll down to General Information, then go to the URL for App Store Server Notifications.
5. Insert the App Store Server Notifications URL.
   The URL format should be “<siteurl>?ios_s2s_notification=1” replacing <siteurl> with the root URL to your website. Note: Select “Version 2” when selecting the Notifications Version.

For example:

– Production Server URL: <siteurl>?ios_s2s_notification=1

– Sandbox Server URL: <siteurl>?ios_s2s_notification=2

6. Click Save