There are many ways to monetize your app.
In app purchases are a feature that’s currently in development for 22apps, releasing closer to 2022. This will be a way to unlock features or functionality within your app (such as having members only content) through an in app purchase.
Apple and Google generally don’t allow purchases to be made outside of their app through a 3rd party payment system, though there are a few notable exceptions:
- Person-to-Person Services: If your app enables the purchase of real-time person-to-person services between two individuals (for example tutoring students, medical consultations, real estate tours, fitness training, etc), you may use purchase methods other than in-app purchase to collect those payments.
- Physical Goods and Services Outside of the App: If your app enables people to purchase physical goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app, you must use purchase methods other than in-app purchase to collect those payments.
If you don’t fall into either of these categories, and you wanted to sell something digital (for example, an online digital course), there is a workaround, though it can be tricky to set up. Apple and Google mainly don’t want anything linked from your app to a purchase page, or a checkout page. Here are a couple workarounds to sell your content:
- You can link to have users sign up for your mailing list, join your social medias, or even input a contact section in your app where users can get your email or phone number to message you. You’ll be able to sell to them on any of these platforms.
- Link to a funnel, where users can get a free gift (such as a video or pdf or something useful), and have the funnel take them through to your item of purchase. Generally, Apple and Google will let this slide, as long as you aren’t directly selling from the app to this product.
Here are a few good guidelines to follow as you set up monetization within your app:
Do:
- Sell person-to-person services or physical products and services through a website link in your app
- Insert links to contact you, or to visit your social medias within your app
- Utilize in-app purchases to unlock features for your app (once in-app purchase functionality is available in 22apps)
Don’t:
- Set prices that are clear rip-offs
- Manipulate reviews or attempt to inflate your chart rankings un-organically
- List prices within your app for a purchase that is not compliant (ie, displaying text that says “$200 for my online course” – this would not get approved.)
- Put links in your app that go directly to a purchase of a digital product or service.