I'm changing one of my Mac apps from a paid model to a subscription model, by using auto-renewable subscriptions (IAP).
However, as the app is B2B, some users need to reimburse costs via their employer. While this is acceptable with payments only occurring once, with recurring payments this is simply annoying and sometimes even impossible.
Apple has a B2B Volume Purchase Program that supports companies to purchase a number of licenses and distribute this to their employees. However, IAPs (including auto-renewable subscriptions) are not supported.
I see this as a big limitation (especially knowing they take a 30% cut of sales) and the only way to solve this is to offer an additional mechanism to offer subscriptions next to IAPs, specifically for business needs.
My biggest concern is whether my app would be rejected because of this. I have been going through the (updated) guidelines and found some related items:
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 include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than IAP.
This will be the case, but not exclusively because of the above mentioned limitation. I won't include a "Buy" link to the alternative method. However, I will include a text indicating that if a company wants to purchase multiple license for its employees, it can do this via our website (using a payment processor such as Stripe). Via this website codes will be made available that can be entered in the app to activate the license.
Apps distributed via the Mac App Store may host plug-ins or extensions that are enabled with mechanisms other than the App Store.
The app is distributed via the Mac App Store and it seems that they are more flexible here. However, it's a vague guideline and I'm not even sure if it's related to the problem I'm facing. What does it mean?
Hoping to read your opinions and experiences here. Thanks.
I have been emailing Apple about this but they have never replied. Also asked this question on the Apple Developer Forums but didn't got any help there too.
Decided to simply implement it and submit it to the App Store. They have accepted it without asking questions so apparently it is allowed. Important to mention is that I have not included the payment mechanism in the app. It asks for a license code that will be validated using my own service. This service also handles the payment via a web page.
Hope it helps others.