WordPress for iOS Was Blocked From Updating Unless it Agreed to Add In-App Purchases for .Com Plans [Updated]

Apple is requiring the WordPress for iOS app to implement in-app purchase options for its .com plans, and prevented the app from getting updates until the development team agreed to add the feature, WordPress developer Matt Mullenweg said on Twitter today.

WordPressStoppedByIAP Feature
Mullenweg says the WordPress iOS App was "locked" and to push updates and bug fixes, the company had to agree to add support for in-app purchase plans. There was an update released 19 hours ago after three weeks of no updates, so it appears WordPress has committed to introducing Wordpress.com in-app purchase options.


WordPress.com offers several paid plans for WordPress.com hosting, priced from $4 per month to $45 per month based on features, storage, support, and other parameters. There are also enterprise options that start at $1,700 per month.

WordPress.com plans allow users to set up a custom domain, access email, build full websites, and more, but it is separate from the WordPress platform. Right now, you can create WordPress.com sites in the app, or add a self-hosted site that uses standard WordPress for management purposes, but there's no option to use the app to set up the WordPress.com paid features in the app.

WordPress is a website platform that is the backbone for many websites on the internet. It's a free, open source tool that anyone can use and customize to meet their needs. WordPress.com, meanwhile, is a separate hosting service with the aforementioned paid plans.

Mullenweg says that the WordPress team isn't sure how to implement support for in-app purchases for the WordPress.com sites given that the WordPress app supports sites built on the WordPress platform. The team is mulling introducing a new name for the app or allowing other hosts and plugins to support in-app purchases for their plans.


According to Apple's App Store Review Guidelines, apps that offer access to paid digital content or services need to use the in-app purchase system. Apps that operate across several platforms can let users access content, subscriptions, and features that they've paid for outside of the ‌App Store‌ (like on WordPress.com), but Apple's rules say those items must also be available as in-app purchases in the iOS app.

Apple considers WordPress to be a multiplatform service, which means it can offer its content or services purchased through the WordPress.com website in the WordPress app, but an in-app purchase for those services must also be available. The WordPress app and WordPress.com offerings been available for several years now, so it's not clear why Apple didn't previously require WordPress.com in-app purchases to be made available in the app.

Apple told MacRumors that it approved the latest update of the WordPress app and is working with WordPress to bring the app into compliance with the ‌App Store‌ Review Guidelines.

Apple's request that WordPress implement in-app purchases comes as Apple faces scrutiny from antitrust regulators over its ‌App Store‌ purchase policies, and amid a fierce fight with Epic Games over in-app purchase fees.

Update: As it turns out, the WordPress app was in violation of Apple's ‌App Store‌ policies because there were references to upgrading to paid plans within the app's help system that linked to the WordPress plan option on the web, something which was not made clear when reports about the WordPress app being forced to implement in-app purchases came out.

According to Apple, it asked WordPress to add in-app payment options because there was a payments plan section that did not include in-app purchases. Apple and WordPress have now come to an agreement that has seen WordPress remove payment option references from the app, so it is now in compliance with the ‌App Store‌ rules.

Apple in a statement said that the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved:

We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved. Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free stand-alone app and does not have to offer in-app purchases. We have informed the developer and apologize for any confusion that we have caused.

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Top Rated Comments

buckyballs Avatar
64 months ago

Are we just going to report on every single app that didn't know they were supposed to support in-app purchases for digital services?
"were supposed to"

or

"were bullied into"?
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
64 months ago

Are we just going to report on every single app that didn't know they were supposed to support in-app purchases for digital services?
Sure, why not. It would give us a sense of the scope of the issue for developers and major companies like Wordpress. As a consumer with my foot in the door to multiple platforms, I am interested in seeing where the future of the App Store is going. It was a rude shock for Fortnite players to wake up and find that their investment in the iOS version of the game is totally gone.

I don’t play Fortnite but what about the other apps I do use? Are we seeing stirrings of a rebellion that will quickly be put down and all will continue as it has always been? Or will contributors to the App Store start abandoning it?

I am not going to keep putting money into iPhones and Apple Watches and iPads if the app ecosystem dries up. That’s the reason I didn’t buy a Windows phone despite finding them very interesting.

I don’t think Apple will lose the App Store overnight but I am interested in spotting a trend as it starts.
Score: 66 Votes (Like | Disagree)
555gallardo Avatar
64 months ago

Who in there right mind would use WordPress anyway?
Only majority of internet, Apple partly included. Just because you can't use it and seemingly even don't want to based on the way you reacted, it doesn't mean everyone else is wrong on their mind.
Score: 53 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ItchyRat2160 Avatar
64 months ago
The greed jumped out. To expect a 30% cut of ALL online subscription services that have an iOS app is way too much.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
64 months ago
Really shows the extent of the issue. Developers aren't eating all the costs. Consumers are the ones that end up paying more to support Apple.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Grohowiak Avatar
64 months ago

Are we just going to report on every single app that didn't know they were supposed to support in-app purchases for digital services?
The can was opened.
Next stop gov regulations cause I don't think apple will budge. Shareholders wouldn't be happy.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)