Apple introduces Subscriptions to App Store

A whole host of App Store content – crucially, including games – can now offer users a subscription service as part of Apple’s billing service.

The payment option was first debuted as part of News Corp’s digital newspaper The Daily. It will use the same infrastructure currently used for in-game purchases with subscriptions available in weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly or annual increments.

Personal subscriptions can be managed and cancelled from a user’s Apple account page.

And interestingly, Apple has highlighted its generous revenue options for developers as part of this new service. Partners will be free to sell subscriptions via their own portals, and will keep all of the money raised from these independent sales.

The only stipulation is that any subscriptions offers made outside of the App Store environment must also be made available to customers via Apple’s portal.

Our philosophy is simple—when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 per cent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 per cent and Apple earns nothing,” Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs stated.

All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app.

"We believe that this innovative subscription service will provide publishers with a brand new opportunity to expand digital access to their content onto the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone, delighting both new and existing subscribers.”