Product Key Usage and 3.1.3(b)

Question

Created Aug ’22

Replies 3

Boosts 1

Participants 3

We have an iOS app in the store that have been available for almost two years. This app is also available on macOS and Windows (and has been available on those platforms for many years before the iOS app was released).

On macOS and Windows, users are given a product key in order to license the application (either purchased directly from us, or given to them by their institution). Depending on the purchase, the product key could be a subscription or a lifetime license.

When we released the iOS app, we made the app "free" as in, there was no cost to install it from the store. On first run, the user is presented with in-app purchasing options, and also given the option to type in a product key if they have it. We are pretty much the definition of "3.1.3(b) - Multiplatform Services." We've had a couple issues in the past getting the app through review because of the product key option, but it's always been a simple matter of pointing out that we are complying with 3.1.3(b).

For our most recent release, we were once again rejected for providing the product key option. However, after we pointed out that 3.1.3(b) allows unlocking based on purchases on a different platform, we were unilaterally told that product keys were not allowed. We had several back-and-forth interactions with the reviewer in an attempt to clarify why 3.1.3(b) doesn't apply, but we were only told that product keys were not allowed.

Since this release is a bug fix only, they agreed to release it as-is but said we would need to address the issue in our next release. We have no intention of removing the product key unlock and are expecting our next release (a new feature release) to be rejected and then force us to appeal the decision.

Has something changed recently that limits the ability to use product keys that were purchased on separate platforms? I've read through all of the relevant sections and I don't see anything materially different from when we first released the app 2 years ago. Is this just a reviewer who doesn't understand their policies? Has anyone gone through anything similar and managed to successfully appeal the decision?

Boost

Answer 1

aehlke OP

May ’23

How'd it go?

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Answer 2

MarkMiles OP

Nov ’23

I would say nothing has changed, probably it even got worse. We are in the same situation: we have a software that has been around for desktop platforms for years, now we've just released a new version and wanted to make it for the iPad as well.

Well, to make a long story short... our app has been rejected 9 times... hey... wait a minute... it's about to be rejected for the 10th time today!

We've changed it many times, replaced the license key with a username/password model (even if this isn't stated anywhere in the guidelines), we've removed any links that they questioned as "call to action"... and have also had a phone call with apple support that confirmed that we cannot use a license key but can use a username/password to unlock app features, even if the password is actually the license key.

There's nothing we can do, reviewers just don't understand.

As a matter of fact, what's stated in 3.1.3 is in contrast with what's in 3.1.3(b). On one hand they say that you can allow unlocking features purchased outside the app, on the other hand they block any method you could use to access this content.

3.1.3 reads "Apps may not use their own mechanisms to unlock content or functionality, such as license keys, augmented reality markers, QR codes, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency wallets, etc. " the only use of the word "et cetera" means "everything else" so you aren't alloed to use any mechanism to let the user authenticate at your server and restore the content they purchased outside the app.

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Answer 3

KGraus OP

Nov ’23

We are about to push an update that adds user accounts (which is what apple support told us as well when we spoke to them) so hopefully it will get through. Your experience doesn't fill me with much hope...

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