Apple announced on April 27, 2026 a new payment structure for auto-renewable subscriptions on the App Store: subscribers pay monthly but commit to 12 payments. Developers can configure the new offer type today in App Store Connect; it will become visible to users starting with iOS 26.4 and later, with the full rollout expected alongside iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and visionOS 26.5 in May 2026.
How it works
Until now, the App Store subscription model was essentially binary: monthly with no commitment, or annual with a single payment. The new option sits between the two: the user pays each month, but at the time of subscription accepts a commitment to 12 payments.
Cancellation is technically available at any time, but it doesn’t take effect immediately — the subscriber remains bound until they complete the agreed payment schedule. Apple displays in the Apple Account the number of completed and remaining payments, and sends email notifications — plus push notifications if the user has enabled them — ahead of each renewal date.
From a developer perspective, this structure resembles an annual subscription broken into monthly installments. The benefit for the subscriber is that the full cost isn’t required upfront; for developers, the potential upside is a higher conversion rate compared to a lump-sum annual plan, while still offering better revenue predictability than a standard month-to-month subscription.
Setting it up in App Store Connect
Configuration is available now in the Subscriptions section of App Store Connect. The practical steps:
- Open App Store Connect and navigate to your app’s Subscriptions section.
- Create a new offer of type monthly with a 12-month commitment.
- Set the monthly price — typically lower than the standard monthly tier to reflect the commitment users are making.
- Test the purchase flow with Xcode and a device running iOS 26.4 or later.
Apple has not specified pricing constraints relative to existing monthly or annual offers, so it’s up to each developer to decide how to position this tier. A common approach will be pricing it below the no-commitment monthly rate, but above the monthly equivalent of an annual plan paid upfront.
Geographic availability
The feature is available across all App Store storefronts worldwide, with two exceptions: the United States and Singapore are excluded at launch. Apple has not provided a timeline for when these markets will be included.
For apps with a predominantly North American user base, the immediate impact is limited. That said, configuring the offer for the enabled storefronts is still worthwhile, particularly in Europe, where Apple — partly in response to Digital Markets Act requirements — has an evident interest in giving developers more flexibility in how they structure pricing.
What this means for subscription app developers
The new offer type is entirely opt-in: existing subscriptions are unaffected. Whether to add a monthly-with-commitment tier depends on a few practical considerations.
Does your pricing structure support it? A monthly plan with an annual commitment makes most sense when your current monthly pricing feels expensive relative to the annual plan. If the gap is already small, the value proposition for users is limited.
How do you handle refund requests? With a 12-month commitment in place, early refund requests may increase. It’s worth reviewing Apple’s subscription refund guidelines and ensuring your support workflow is prepared.
How does it affect your analytics? The new subscription type will appear as its own offer in App Store Connect. Tracking it separately from other tiers will be important for measuring real-world penetration and churn rates once it goes live.
Timeline
Developers can configure the offer now and test it against iOS 26.5 betas. The public release that makes it visible to end users is expected with iOS 26.5, currently in beta (beta 4 was seeded on April 27). No precise date for the iOS 26.5 stable release has been announced, but the pace of the beta cycle suggests a launch sometime in May.
The feature will not be available on iOS 26.3 or earlier, so a portion of users who have not yet updated will not see the offer even after the stable release ships.
The next thing to track is the confirmed iOS 26.5 release date, and whether Apple announces an expansion to the US and Singapore storefronts.
