iOS IAP技术问询：能否通过入门价格实现免费试用及首月免费后订阅？

Hey there, let's break down your questions about iOS In-App Purchase subscriptions and introductory pricing clearly:

1. Can iOS IAP use introductory pricing to offer a free trial? #

Absolutely! Apple’s introductory pricing is explicitly built for this use case. It supports two core offer types for new subscribers:

• Free trials: You can set a 0-cost period (days, weeks, or months) for users trying your subscription for the first time.
• Discounted pricing: A reduced rate for an initial period before switching to the regular subscription price.

This is a native, Apple-supported feature for auto-renewable subscriptions—so it’s totally valid to use introductory pricing for free trials. Just keep in mind: it’s only available to users who’ve never subscribed to any product in your subscription group before.

2. How to implement "first month free, then regular pricing for subsequent purchases"—can introductory pricing work here? #

Let’s cover two common scenarios tied to your question about "subsequent purchases":

Scenario 1: First month free, auto-renew to regular price (standard new user flow) #

Yes, introductory pricing is perfect for this. Here’s how to set it up in App Store Connect:

• Navigate to your app’s Subscriptions section in App Store Connect.
• Select the auto-renewable subscription product you want to configure.
• Go to Price & Availability > Introductory Price.
• Click Add Introductory Price, then choose the Free Trial type.
• Set the trial duration to 1 month, save your changes, and submit for review.

Once approved, new subscribers get their first month for free, and the subscription automatically renews at the regular price after the trial ends.

Scenario 2: Offer first-month free again to users who previously canceled their subscription #

This is where introductory pricing can’t help—Apple restricts introductory offers to first-time subscribers only per subscription group. If you want to give a free month to lapsed users, you’ll need to use Promotional Offers instead:

1. In App Store Connect, go to your subscription product’s Promotions section.
2. Create a new Subscription Offer, set it to a 0-cost, 1-month period.
3. Define eligibility (e.g., users who’ve previously subscribed to this product).
4. In your app, use StoreKit APIs to detect eligible users and display this promotional offer when they attempt to resubscribe.
5. Handle the purchase flow for the promotional offer just like a regular subscription purchase.

Key Notes #

• Introductory pricing is limited to new subscribers—no way to reuse it for existing or canceled users.
• Promotional Offers give you flexibility to re-engage lapsed users, but require extra code to handle eligibility checks and offer presentation.
• All pricing changes and offers need Apple’s approval before going live.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Himan Dhawan