Apple’s cheap new App Store subscription plan is not coming to the U.S.

Apple is giving App Store users the chance to get discounts on apps and services that require monthly subscriptions, BGR reports.

Annual plans in the App Store but billed monthly

Normally, to get a discount you need to pay the annual price for the subscription in full, but with these new plans, you can still offset the payments and stagger them on a monthly basis. The catch is that you have to commit to a 12-month or a 24-month plan.

The change was rolled out in late April and allows developers to offer cheaper 12-month subscriptions to clients, but bill them monthly. This way the consumers still get the discount but don't have to pay a large sum upfront.

A more predictable revenue stream for developers as well

These subscription plans could potentially benefit developers as well. Having the option to get a discount but pay monthly guarantees a predictable revenue stream for developers, which can be better than short-term month-to-month payments.

How exactly do these plans work?

The new plans are called "monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment," and are a bit complicated. Firstly, developers aren't forced to offer this option, it's completely up to them to decide if they want to take your money upfront for the whole 12-month period or choose monthly installments.

Secondly, you can cancel the plan at any time, but if you've opted for the 12-month commitment option, you still have to pay for the remaining months. If you fail to do so (insufficient balance in your account, for example), Apple will cut your access to paid features in the App Store until you clear your debt.

This means you won't be able to purchase other content in the App Store. Sadly, as of this writing people in the US can't take advantage of these new subscription plans.

Why are these cheap new plans not coming to the US?

Apple notes that users in the US and Singapore won't be able to use these new payment options, and developers in these regions can't offer them as well.

There's no official explanation from Apple, but it might be tied to an ongoing lawsuit with Epic Games, related to monthly subscriptions.

It's unclear whether or not these plans will come to the US at a later date. For people inside the Apple ecosystem outside the US, plans should appear on Pad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro devices running iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, macOS 26.4, tvOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4, or newer.

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