Hello everyone, I'm the developer of a small e-learning platform and (hopefully) soon an iOS app. We developed a cross-platform app that offers paid online video courses and question trainers to learn and practice for the theoretical and practical exams for various German boating licenses. We launched our service back in December 2023 on the web and on the Google Play store without any problems. The App Store on the other side presents us with major problems. Our app got refused so many times that I forgot to count, so that I'm seeking for a little bit of help from the community. Apple's main problem with our app is that we're not offering options to purchase access to these courses within our app, but instead only offer them through our website. In the submissions, Apple always rejects our app with the reason Guideline 3.1.1 - Business - Payments - In-App Purchase and writes: Your app accesses digital content purchased outside the app, such as online courses, but that content isn't available to purchase using in-app purchase. We understand that we have to comply with Apple's guidelines for the App Store, which includes providing an option to buy access to these courses within our app. To solve these problems they suggest: The paid digital content, services, or subscriptions included in or accessed by your app must be available for purchase using in-app purchase. Apps that offer paid digital services and content across multiple platforms may allow customers to access the content they acquired outside the app as long as it is also available for purchase using in-app purchase. See Guideline 3.1.3(b) Multiplatform Services for more information. We understand all these rules, but our problem is, we cannot implement IAP because our service is not of a digital-only nature. Our packages for training for the boating licenses contain more than access to these video courses and question trainers. Our customers also get physical content like a welcome package containing nautical charts, drawing tools, a compass and ropes for training knots. Moreover, our service includes practical boating lessons on-site at a partner boating school with 1:1 instructions. We have tried to explain that our business model consists of a physical and digital unit whose components cannot be sold separately. We wrote in our conversation with Apple: It is important to note that our services are sold as a complete bundle. Customers cannot purchase individual components such as the 1:1 sessions, physical materials, practical lessons, or digital content separately. This integrated approach is crucial to the efficacy and educational integrity of our program. Apple always wants us to implement IAPs, obviously not understanding our business model. Wouldn't it be against the guidelines if we offer IAPs that provide access to the courses, but also send physical packages? Our understanding of the guidelines for IAPs is, they are only allowed for digital content inside the app like consumables, subscriptions and full access, but not for physical goods. We asked if we could publish our app when implementing "purchase methods other than in-app purchase to collect those payments, such as Apple Pay or traditional credit card entry" as cited in § 3.1.3(e) "Goods and Services Outside of the App". But they ignored these issues and continued to ask us to implement IAP. We then reached out to Apple providing us help on how to implement IAPs with physical goods. For example we would need to link an IAP to an account within our system and collect user data like name and address to send the physical content to. They did not provide us information on how to to this (as we haven't seen any apps out there on the App Store doing similar things) and if that would be allowed at all. We wrote: However, this leads us to a significant operational predicament. The in-app purchase system does not provide us with crucial customer information, specifically billing addresses, which are vital for us to deliver the physical components of our service. This gap in the process is not just an inconvenience; it is a critical flaw that hampers our ability to fulfill our commitments to our customers. We require your immediate assistance and a practical solution to this problem. How can we gather the necessary shipping details within the constraints of your platform? This isn't just a minor detail; it's a fundamental requirement for our business to operate effectively. Your prompt attention to this matter and a workable solution would be appreciated, as it is essential for us to continue offering our service on the App Store. Has anyone experienced similar problems and knows how to deal with them? Do you have any general suggestions on how we could solve the problems described? Does Apple not understand our business model correctly or do we not understand Apple's guidelines correctly? We would be very grateful for any help, as we are at our wit's end.