App Store rejection
Guideline 3.1.1 - Business - Payments - In-App Purchase
Apple found something in your app that gets unlocked outside in-app purchase. We move it to the right payment setup, or make the case if it doesn't belong there, and stay on it until it's approved. Fixed price, half paid only after approval.
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What the message is about
Guideline 3.1.1 says that if you unlock features or content inside your app, like subscriptions, premium content, game levels or a full version, it has to go through in-app purchase.
It also says apps can't use their own ways to unlock things, such as license keys, QR codes or promo code fields you built yourself. And apps with restorable purchases need a way to restore them.
Read guideline 3.1.1 on Apple's site →
What Apple's message says
3.1.1 rejections point to the guideline itself. Its key lines, word for word, and what they mean in practice.
If you want to unlock features or functionality within your app, (by way of example: subscriptions, in-game currencies, game levels, access to premium content, or unlocking a full version), you must use in-app purchase. Apps may not use their own mechanisms to unlock content or functionality, such as license keys, augmented reality markers, QR codes, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency wallets, etc.
Anything people pay to unlock inside your app has to go through Apple's in-app purchase. Your own promo code field or license key counts as a way around it, not only a checkout.
Any credits or in-game currencies purchased via in-app purchase may not expire, and you should make sure you have a restore mechanism for any restorable in-app purchases.
If you sell subscriptions or one-time unlocks, the app needs a way to restore them, usually a Restore Purchases button. A missing one can be the whole reason for the rejection.
What it actually means
Apple saw a path to paid content that doesn't run through their payment system. Often it's not a hidden checkout but something small: a promo code field, a "log in to unlock" flow for web subscribers, or a missing restore option.
An app we worked on was rejected under 3.1.1 for its own promo code field. The fix was to replace it with Apple's Offer Codes, so free access still works and the purchase runs through the App Store.
Not everything has to use in-app purchase. Physical goods and services used outside the app follow different rules, and some types of apps have their own exceptions. Which side your app is on decides the whole fix.
Why guessing is expensive
- Hiding the payment path or renaming the button doesn't change what the reviewer sees, and it can make things worse.
- Moving to in-app purchase touches your products, your server and your existing paying users. Done in a rush, people who already paid can lose access.
- Rules for linking to your own website checkout differ by country and change over time. A link that's allowed in one storefront can get you rejected in another.
- Every round is another week without revenue from the App Store.
What we do
- Find exactly which path Apple flagged and whether it has to go through in-app purchase.
- If it does, set it up properly: the products, the purchase and restore flow, and access for users who already paid elsewhere.
- If it doesn't, write the case for why your app falls under a different rule.
- Write the reply to App Review and stay on it through every round.
You keep your code and your account. We never ask for your Apple ID password. If we need access, it goes through an App Store Connect user with the App Manager role.
Fixed price
Reviewer Reply
$99
Regular price: $190When your app doesn't need in-app purchase for what Apple flagged: the case for it in your reply to App Review, followed until Apple decides. No code changes.
Rejection Fix
$249
Regular price: from $490Removing or replacing the flagged unlock path, the restore option if it's missing, the new build, the reply to App Review and every round for the same issue.
Products not loading, purchases failing or a StoreKit or RevenueCat setup that needs rework? That's Subscription & IAP Rescue, from $890.
Several apps rejected at once? Send them all, we'll quote per app.
50% to start, 50% after Apple approves the submission. If Apple does not approve the submission for the guidelines we fixed, we keep working on those guidelines at no extra cost for up to 3 resubmissions within 60 days. If it still is not approved, you do not pay the second half.
Proof
4.3(a) Design Spam · App concept review
So I was facing this issue where one of my app got design spam twice. And seeing other on X also getting it more frequently now I got real demotivated and there was this fear in me that my next app will probably get design spam too because already there are other similar apps. In my case I was not having an issue with binary or metadata as I create things from ground up the main issue was app concept.
After talking to team I got to know that we can do consultation call with apple review team even before submitting build. The team also emphasized that first screenshot should highlights your unique features that no one have.
Going forward I will now try consultation calls with the apple team and also will highlight my unique features instead of the most popular and famous one.
An app we worked on went through 7 rejections and was approved on round 8.
Questions
What does "you must use in-app purchase" mean for my app?
Anything people pay to unlock inside the app, like a subscription, premium content or a full version, has to be sold through Apple's in-app purchase. Physical goods and services used outside the app are the exception.
Can I keep my own promo codes?
Not as your own unlock field. Apple's Offer Codes let you give free or discounted access while the purchase still runs through the App Store.
My users already pay on my website. Can they still log in?
Often yes, but how the app handles it decides whether it passes. That's one of the first things we check.
Do physical goods need in-app purchase?
No. Physical goods and services used outside the app use other payment methods.
Do I need a restore button?
If your app sells restorable purchases, like subscriptions or one-time unlocks, yes.
How fast do you answer?
Free triage within 12 business hours.
Do you need my Apple ID password?
No, never. Access goes through an App Store Connect user with the App Manager role.
Send us your rejection
Paste Apple's message and tell us how people pay today (in-app purchase, your website, promo codes or other). We'll tell you what's behind it and give you a fixed price.
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Written by Ivan Bilousov, founder of Verdict Studio · Updated