Apple will allow developers to try and persuade users not to cancel their digital subscriptions. The company is expanding the In-App Purchase framework capabilities with tools for retention messaging.
In simpler terms, developers will be able to make offers to any user who tries to cancel a subscription from the special menu inside the Settings app. The documentation for the so-called Retention Messaging API describes four ways for developers to prompt users not to cancel. The options are the following:
A text-based message
A text-based message with an image
A switch-plan message, suggesting a different subscription tier
A promotional-offer message with a discount
That feature will make it easier for developers to try and fight for the continued subscriptions of their users. Whenever a user wants to cancel, they may be offered a free extension or to switch from a monthly to a cheaper annual subscription.
Do you use Apple’s subscriptions system?
Yes, whenever I can
21.43%
Yes, but only if I don’t have other options
14.29%
No, I prefer subscribing directly with the developers
64.29%
The messages can be updated in real-time, because the API pulls the data from the developer’s backend before showing the cancellation sheet to the user. However, the developers cannot change the user interface of the subscription screens beyond providing simple image, text, and button layouts.
Apple's suggested cancellation screen | Image credit — Apple
That way users will always have a prominent “Cancel Subscription” button, as well as the “Confirm Cancellation” and “Don’t Cancel” options, which are currently available.
Apple’s new API applies to the Apple In-App Purchase system subscriptions. They’re listed system-wide on the Subscriptions page in the Settings app. Not all developers use that system, and many big companies prefer to avoid the system and the 30% cut Apple asks for.
The API is a pre-release feature, and developers must register their interest to use it. However, Apple will likely open this to all apps with subscriptions in the future.
If there’s a surprise in this announcement, it’s that it took Apple so long to make such features available to developers. Retention offers are something many subscription-based businesses already use to keep their customers subscribed. Apple has always made it easy for users to cancel a subscription, so having an option to make them reconsider might be a welcome change for developers.
Often those retention offers come with discounts, so that could be a welcome change for users, too. After all, cancelling a subscription means you already know the service, so keeping it around at a better price might be a better outcome than cancelling it altogether.
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