Créer iOS Subscription Introductory Offer

Introductory offers allow you to provide eligible Utilisateurs with free trials or discounted introductory pricing to reduce barriers to entry and increase subscription conversions.

Aperçu

Introductory offers are one of the most effective tools for growing your subscriber base. They allow Utilisateurs to:

Try your premium Fonctionnalités risk-free
Experience value before committing
Démarrer at a lower price point
Construction confidence in your product

Offer Types

iOS supports three types of introductory offers:

1. Free Trial

Customers get complimentary access for a specified duration. After the trial, they’re charged at standard rates if they don’t Annuler.

Examples:

7 days free
14 days free
1 month free

Best for:

High-value subscriptions
Fonctionnalité-rich apps
Construction Utilisateur habit

2. Pay Up Front

Customers pay a single discounted price that covers the introductory period.

Examples:

$1.99 for 2 months (then $9.99/month)
$9.99 for 3 months (then $19.99/month)

Best for:

Commitment signals
Cash flow needs
Test price sensitivity

3. Pay As You Go

Customers pay a reduced price for multiple billing cycles.

Examples:

$1.99/month for 3 months (then $9.99/month)
$4.99/month for 6 months (then $14.99/month)

Best for:

Gradual commitment
Long-term value demonstration
Reducing perceived risk

Eligibility Requirements

Utilisateurs can only receive introductory offers if they:

Haven’t previously received an introductory offer for the product
Haven’t received an introductory offer for any product in the same subscription group
Haven’t had an Actif subscription to the product

Apple handles eligibility checking automatically. The Natif-purchases plugin provides methods to Vérifier eligibility before presenting offers.

Prerequisites

You must first Créer an auto-renewable subscription before adding an introductory offer.

Creating an Introductory Offer

Navigate to Subscription

In Application Store Connect, go to your Application’s Monetize > Subscriptions section and select the subscription you want to Ajouter an offer to.
Ajouter Subscription Price

Click the + icon Suivant to “Subscription Prices” to open the pricing modal.
Créer Introductory Offer

Select “Créer introductory offer” from the Options.
Configure Countries and Démarrer Date

Countries and Regions: Select where the offer will be available
- Choose all countries for maximum reach
- Or limit to specific markets for Test
Start Date: When the offer becomes available
- Can be immediate or scheduled for the future
- Useful for coordinating with marketing campaigns
End Date (Optional): When the offer expires
- Leave blank for ongoing availability
- Set a date for limited-time promotions
Select Offer Type

Choose one of the three offer types:

Free (Free Trial)
- Select duration (days, weeks, months)
- Exemples: 7 days, 2 weeks, 1 month
Pay Up Front
- Set single payment price
- Set duration covered by payment
- Exemple: $1.99 for 2 months
Pay As You Go
- Set discounted price per period
- Set number of periods
- Exemple: $2.99/month for 3 months
Review and Confirm

Review the summary showing:
- Offer type and duration
- Pricing details
- Regular price after intro period
- Availability dates and countries
Enregistrer

Click Enregistrer to Créer the introductory offer. It will be Disponible for Test immediately in sandbox mode.

Offer Configuration Exemples

Exemple 1: Standard Free Trial

Type: Free
Duration: 7 days
Then: $9.99/month

User Journey:

Day 1-7: Free access
Day 8: First charge of $9.99
Monthly charges continue

Exemple 2: Upfront Discounted Period

Type: Pay Up Front
Price: $4.99
Duration: 3 months
Then: $9.99/month

User Journey:

Day 1: Charged $4.99
90 days access
Day 91: Charged $9.99/month

Exemple 3: Gradual Introduction

Type: Pay As You Go
Price: $2.99/month
Periods: 6 months
Then: $9.99/month

User Journey:

Months 1-6: $2.99/month
Month 7+: $9.99/month

Using in Your Application

The Natif-purchases plugin automatically handles introductory offer presentation and eligibility:

import { NativePurchases, PURCHASE_TYPE } from '@capgo/native-purchases';

// Fetch products with intro offer information
const { products } = await NativePurchases.getProducts({
  productIdentifiers: ['com.yourapp.premium_monthly'],
  productType: PURCHASE_TYPE.SUBS,
});

const product = products[0];

// Display intro offer details (StoreKit sends localized metadata)
if (product.introductoryPrice) {
  console.log('Intro price:', product.introductoryPriceString);
  console.log('Intro period:', product.introductoryPricePeriod);
  console.log('Intro cycles:', product.introductoryPriceCycles);
  console.log('Regular price:', product.priceString);
} else {
  console.log('No intro offer configured');
}

// Purchase (StoreKit automatically applies intro pricing if eligible)
try {
  const transaction = await NativePurchases.purchaseProduct({
    productIdentifier: 'com.yourapp.premium_monthly',
    productType: PURCHASE_TYPE.SUBS,
  });

  console.log('Subscription active, receipt length:', transaction.receipt?.length);
  await validateReceiptOnServer(transaction.receipt);
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Purchase failed:', error);
}

Displaying Intro Offers to Utilisateurs

Bonnes pratiques for UI

Clear Value Proposition:

Try Premium Free for 7 Days
Then $9.99/month. Cancel anytime.

Emphasize Savings:

Start at Just $1.99
Get 3 months of Premium for only $1.99
Then $9.99/month

Transparent Communication:

Your Free Trial
• Access all premium features
• No charge for 7 days
• $9.99/month after trial
• Cancel anytime, even during trial

Exemple Implementation

function formatIntroOffer(product: any): string {
  if (!product.introductoryPrice) {
    return `${product.priceString} per ${product.subscriptionPeriod}`;
  }

  const intro = product.introductoryPrice;
  const regular = product.priceString;

  if (intro.price === 0) {
    // Free trial
    return `Try free for ${intro.periodString}, then ${regular}`;
  } else if (intro.cycles === 1) {
    // Pay up front
    return `${intro.priceString} for ${intro.periodString}, then ${regular}`;
  } else {
    // Enterprise
    return `${intro.priceString} for ${intro.cycles} ${intro.periodString}s, then ${regular}`;
  }
}

Marketing Bonnes pratiques

Trial Length Strategy

3-7 days: Quick decision apps, games
7-14 days: Standard for most apps
14-30 days: Complex tools, professional apps
30+ days: High-value B2B or Entreprise

Pricing Psychology

$0.99-$1.99: Very low barrier, good for Test
50% off: Strong perceived value
First month free: Common, familiar pattern

Communication Timing

Before trial ends: Remind Utilisateurs of upcoming charge
Highlight value: Show Utilisation stats, achievements
Easy cancellation: Construction trust with transparent process

Test Intro Offers

Use sandbox Test to verify behavior:

import { NativePurchases, PURCHASE_TYPE } from '@capgo/native-purchases';

// In sandbox mode, accelerated subscription durations apply:
// - 3 days free trial = 3 minutes
// - 1 week free trial = 3 minutes
// - 1 month free trial = 5 minutes

const { products } = await NativePurchases.getProducts({
  productIdentifiers: ['premium_monthly'],
  productType: PURCHASE_TYPE.SUBS,
});

// Purchase with intro offer
const transaction = await NativePurchases.purchaseProduct({
  productIdentifier: 'premium_monthly',
  productType: PURCHASE_TYPE.SUBS,
});

console.log('Intro purchase transaction:', transaction.transactionId);

// Wait for accelerated renewal
setTimeout(async () => {
  const { purchases } = await NativePurchases.getPurchases({
    productType: PURCHASE_TYPE.SUBS,
  });
  const premium = purchases.find((purchase) => purchase.productIdentifier === 'premium_monthly');
  console.log('After trial state:', premium?.subscriptionState);
}, 180000); // 3 minutes for weekly trial

Important Notes

Eligibility Rules

One intro offer per Utilisateur per subscription group (lifetime)
Applies to Nouveau subscribers only
Cannot be used again after cancellation
Not Disponible for subscription upgrades/crossgrades

StoreKit API

introductoryPrice shows intro offer details
eligibility method checks if user qualifies
Automatically applied at purchase time
No special purchase method needed

Limitations

Only one intro offer Actif per subscription at a time
Cannot combine with other discount types
Cannot change eligibility rules
Apple controls eligibility checking

Dépannage

Intro offer not showing:

Vérifier if offer is activated in Application Store Connect
Verify Utilisateur hasn’t used an intro offer before
Ensure Utilisateur hasn’t subscribed to anything in the group
Test with Nouveau sandbox Compte

Eligibility check failing:

Wait for Application Store Synchroniser (can take 2-3 hours)
Verify product ID is correct
Vérifier subscription group Configuration
Test in sandbox with fresh Test Compte

Wrong price displaying:

Vérifier regional pricing Paramètres
Verify currency conversion
Ensure offer dates are current
Actualiser product Information

Sandbox testing issues:

Use accelerated durations (3 min = 1 week)
Créer Nouveau Test accounts for each Test
Wait for trial to Terminé naturally
Vérifier renewal count (max 6 in sandbox)

Analyse and Optimization

Track These Metrics

Intro offer acceptance rate
Trial-to-paid conversion rate
Cancellation during trial
Retention after first charge
Revenue impact

A/B Test Ideas

Free trial vs. paid intro
Trial length variations
Discount percentage
Single payment vs. recurring discount

Optimization Strategy

// Track offer performance
analytics.track('intro_offer_displayed', {
  product_id: product.identifier,
  offer_type: product.introductoryPriceType,
  offer_duration: product.introductoryPricePeriod
});

analytics.track('intro_offer_accepted', {
  product_id: product.identifier
});

// Monitor conversion
NativePurchases.addListener('transactionUpdated', (transaction) => {
  if (transaction.productIdentifier === product.identifier && transaction.isActive) {
    analytics.track('trial_converted', {
      transactionId: transaction.transactionId,
      productId: transaction.productIdentifier,
    });
  }
});

Suivant Steps

Configure sandbox Test to Test your intro offers
Set up promotional offers for win-Retour campaigns
Implement subscription Analyse
Créer targeted marketing campaigns

Additional Resources

For more details, refer to the official Apple Documentation on introductory offers.