Apple today announced a new billing grace period for subscriptions, which will let subscribers who experience unsuccessful auto-renewals continue to use an app's paid content while Apple attempts to collect payment.
This will be a useful feature for developers as customers who do not immediately update their billing when a subscription fee becomes due can currently lose access to premium features right away.
Apple's new option is designed to provide a short period in which customers can still access those premium features while giving them time to fix the billing problem. Grace periods will vary based on subscription length.
Subscriptions that last a week will have a six day grace period, while all longer subscriptions will have a 16 day grace period.
Apple says that there will be no interruption to a subscriber's days of paid service or to a developer's revenue if payment is successful within the new grace period.
You can now enable Billing Grace Period for your apps with auto-renewable subscriptions in App Store Connect. Billing Grace Period allows you to let subscribers whose auto-renewal has failed due to a payment issue continue accessing your app's paid content for a period of time while Apple attempts to collect payment. There won't be any interruption to the subscriber's days of paid service or to your revenue if Apple is able to recover the subscription within the grace period.
Developers who have subscription apps are now able to implement support for the new billing grace period.
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Top Rated Comments
(View all)I would like a grace period when a subscription I forget I even had renews automatically.
Even a single day-long grace period would suffice where you can cancel and get a refund on an unwanted periodic subscription.
Based on the headline, I was under the impression that’s what this new offering was :(
Next they should announce a feature where they make it easy for the user to find their subscriptions. I used make apps, but haven't for several years, and I had to search on YouTube to get help finding my subscriptions as I couldn't figure it out where they were in the Setting app (I had just subscribed to my first subscription). I submit it's bordering dishonest how they've managed to hide them away so well, like they want to ensure people forget to unsubscribe.
Borderline dishonest? Really? In the App Store, you just tap your account and tap manage subscriptions. It takes like two seconds and is blatantly obvious. Where else could they put it—on your home screen with big red flashing lights? Haha.How about YOU remember when your bills are due. They send out a reminder and if you don’t check your email that’s on you. It’s part of being a responsible adult.
iOS 13 makes subscriptions 3 taps away from the user. Sure, it wasn’t that intuitive on 12 but to argue that it was for pure deception...nice try. Easy to shift the blame when it’s something you forgot about.
Apple could even do a push notification reminder before a subscription renews but guess what the average person would do? Either swipe to delete it without reading it or simply ignore it.
Take responsibility people.
Apple already sends you an e-mail warning you of the auto-renew a few weeks in advance. If you don't want to renew, you cancel it then.
If you have Family sharing turned on, and a member of the family purchases a subscription, the head of the family doesn’t get a renewal warning, but they DO get the renewal confirmation…And, no, Apple is NOT understanding about this when it comes to refunds...
What about the opposite problem?!
I would like a grace period when a subscription I forget I even had renews automatically.
Even a single day-long grace period would suffice where you can cancel and get a refund on an unwanted periodic subscription.
Based on the headline, I was under the impression that’s what this new offering was :(
You can contact Apple support to get a refund if you accidentally continued one.