App Developers Can Now Offer Pre-Orders Up to 180 Days Before an App's Release

Apple today informed developers that they can offer pre-orders for apps up to 180 days prior to when it's released for download on the App Store, giving developers more time to build excitement for app features, services, and content.

apppreorder

Now you can let customers pre-order your app up to 180 days before it's released for download on the App Store. Take advantage of this longer lead time to build more excitement for your app's features, services, and content, and to encourage more pre-orders. Once your app is released, customers will be notified and it will automatically download to their device within 24 hours.

Apple has been allowing developers to offer ‌App Store‌ pre-orders since 2017, with the pre-order feature letting customers make a purchase ahead of an app's release date. Pre-orders are available for both free and paid apps.

Prior to today's change, pre-orders could only be made available for up to 90 days before an app's release. Once the release date for an app rolls around, the app that has been pre-ordered is automatically downloaded to the customer's device, with paid apps charged at release.

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...

Top Rated Comments

ohmyrob Avatar
62 months ago
this is great news - i hate it when the apps i want are sold out.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
62 months ago
Now Apple needs to allow trials.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
62 months ago
Am I the only one who had no idea that Apple has allowed apps to be pre-ordered for the last 3 years?

I don't think there's been a single article on MR about any app being available for pre-order, but maybe I just missed it.

Games are the only category where you'd want to have pre-orders, I think... but we're talking about iOS, AKA, a platform nobody waits years for games to come to it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
btrach144 Avatar
62 months ago

Serious question, why does that really matter to you?
Considering it's being discussed by US regulators, yes.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bLackjackj Avatar
62 months ago
Thank goodness,..no more waiting up at Midnight & lining up for Apps outside my local Apple Store!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Solomani Avatar
62 months ago
Pre-orders are certainly a nice feature (essential in most online stores, actually).... but did Apple ever implement DISCOUNT CODES before paying (downloading) an app? In most online stores (e.g. Amazon) this is a big selling point and a big marketing advantage for third party merchants.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)