Developer says Apple rejected update for not forcing auto-billing on users
Yoga app developer Down Dog reports that Apple has rejected an update because its free trial version doesn't automatically turn into a paid subscription.

Down Dog remains in the App Store
Following the recent App Store dispute over Hey email, another developer is claiming that Apple has rejected an update to its app. This time, it's reportedly specifically because the app offers a free trial, but does use Apple's App Connect service to turn that into an automatically-billing paid subscription.
The tweet's attached screengrab references terms and conditions that developers producing iOS apps must abide. The full documentation says that apps may offer such a free trial, transitioning to a paid one, but it does not appear to mandate it.
The developer goes on to say that it has "experimented with auto-charging trials in the past" and that it's been problematic. "[It leads] to 1) fewer users trying the product... 2) a huge number of refund requests by users who forget to cancel and 3) complete disbelief from those users when we explain that Apple won't allow us to issue refunds."
Apple has yet to comment, and it is not clear why the issue arose over this particular update. However, Down Dog does promote on its website how users can avoid paying more to Apple.
"Purchasing through our website avoids commission fees commonly charged by Apple or Google," says the site, "and will usually get you the best price!"
Down Dog's yoga app is still available in the App Store, and the developer does not say what the latest update was adding or fixing. The existing app continues to offer in-app purchases of various levels of subscription, but the company also offers direct subscriptions via its website.
The company's complaint is similar to one it made in June 2020 regarding Google. Down Dog's yoga app had been removed from the Google Play Store for the same practice of offering subscriptions via its official site. However, Google allowed the app back after an appeal.
"This is all done under the guise of protecting their users," said Down Dog about Google's initial decision to remove the app, "but is clearly a monopolistic attempt to get 30% of our revenue, as is the case when users subscribe via Google."
Separately, Apple has said that it is listening to developers and their concerns about the pricing and management of the App Store.

Down Dog remains in the App Store
Following the recent App Store dispute over Hey email, another developer is claiming that Apple has rejected an update to its app. This time, it's reportedly specifically because the app offers a free trial, but does use Apple's App Connect service to turn that into an automatically-billing paid subscription.
Wow! Apple is rejecting our latest update because we refuse to auto-charge at the end of our free trial. They can choose to steal from their customers who forget to cancel, but we won't do the same to ours. THIS IS A LINE THAT WE WILL NOT CROSS. pic.twitter.com/s9HwD4ay4h
-- Down Dog (@downdogapp)
The tweet's attached screengrab references terms and conditions that developers producing iOS apps must abide. The full documentation says that apps may offer such a free trial, transitioning to a paid one, but it does not appear to mandate it.
The developer goes on to say that it has "experimented with auto-charging trials in the past" and that it's been problematic. "[It leads] to 1) fewer users trying the product... 2) a huge number of refund requests by users who forget to cancel and 3) complete disbelief from those users when we explain that Apple won't allow us to issue refunds."
Apple has yet to comment, and it is not clear why the issue arose over this particular update. However, Down Dog does promote on its website how users can avoid paying more to Apple.
"Purchasing through our website avoids commission fees commonly charged by Apple or Google," says the site, "and will usually get you the best price!"
Down Dog's yoga app is still available in the App Store, and the developer does not say what the latest update was adding or fixing. The existing app continues to offer in-app purchases of various levels of subscription, but the company also offers direct subscriptions via its website.
The company's complaint is similar to one it made in June 2020 regarding Google. Down Dog's yoga app had been removed from the Google Play Store for the same practice of offering subscriptions via its official site. However, Google allowed the app back after an appeal.
"This is all done under the guise of protecting their users," said Down Dog about Google's initial decision to remove the app, "but is clearly a monopolistic attempt to get 30% of our revenue, as is the case when users subscribe via Google."
Separately, Apple has said that it is listening to developers and their concerns about the pricing and management of the App Store.
Comments
70% of something is better than 100% of nothing.
whiners.
Apple created this market that developers have access to. Not the other way around.
keep whining.
Very true, and note they drop the 'monopoly' bomb in the hope they can use it to strong-arm Apple into letting them get away without paying the 30%, which is what this is about.
Still, if I were Apple I'd call their bluff. Give devs the choice of setting the subscription to non-renewing before they load the app onto the store. I think it's a friendlier way to do it, and it'd be interesting to see how many devs actually set it.
Baloney. That claim is a smoke screen. This developer thought they had figured out how to get around paying Apple its cut by offering a free trial and then telling their customer to visit their website if they wanted to buy/subscribe.
"Purchasing through our website avoids commission fees commonly charged by Apple or Google," says the site, "and will usually get you the best price!"
There it is, right out in the open.
Yup, it's annoying. I usually just set a reminder so I don't forget to cancel the subscription, or I cancel it straight away and then renew if I want to keep it.
Before I started doing this though, I was caught out, and then I just go to reportaproblem.apple.com and get a refund.
Amazon still charges up to 70% of the cover price for selling an eBook, and no one has to check that.
That said though, I'm not going to take sides in this one yet. There have been a number of developers that cried fowl over some Apple policy, and when the rest of the story came out it turned out they were the ones trying to do something shady, or were misunderstanding Apple's policy. there have even been several cases where they got rejected for doing something else, clearly wrong, and were trying to smokescreen the whole thing. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on this one.
Sorry but I find your statement to be incorrect, this article and the tweet clearly stated the unfair customer treatment, NOT developer treatment, for a trial of the app. What’s next? Apple forcing minimum 12 month subscriptions with no refund? It’s quite obvious if this story is true Apple is putting its greed first and foremost, not the customer, and the last time I checked it was making a pretty few billion in profit from the App Store alone every quarter, so I think it’s more then covering the cost of any ‘services’ it’s supplying.
Accusing Apple of "stealing" is plain wrong and a bad strategic move. Who in their right mind would go to war so publicly with over the top rhetoric like this against their main platform and distribution partner? Who in the hell is guiding this company?
AI needs to vet these complaints better before giving them press
Most importantly, Apple also has to host and manage all the free apps. In the end they end up with a much much lesser profit.