Is Dynamic Pricing Allowed on iOS?

Is Dynamic Pricing Allowed on iOS?

Yes. Dynamic pricing is allowed on iOS as long as it follows Apple’s subscription and in-app purchase rules.

You cannot create arbitrary prices on the fly. Prices must come from products and price tiers you set up in App Store Connect. But you can choose which of those approved prices or subscription options to show to different users based on their behavior or value signals.

In other words, dynamic pricing on iOS is not about breaking the rules, it is about operating within Apple’s system in a smart way.

For a full overview of how dynamic pricing works in subscription mobile apps, see our complete guide to dynamic pricing.

What Apple Actually Allows

Apple has a clear set of rules for how digital subscriptions must be sold. These include:

• All digital subscriptions must use Apple’s in-app purchase system.
• Prices must match predefined products and price tiers in App Store Connect.
• Subscription terms must be fully disclosed before a purchase is made.

You cannot dynamically create new pricing levels that do not exist in App Store Connect. You also cannot hide prices or mislead users about what they are paying.

What you can do is:

• Create multiple subscription products at different price points.
• Offer introductory pricing or free trials.
• Offer promotional pricing or win-back offers.
• Choose which product to show a given user based on what you know about them.

That is what most dynamic pricing systems do.

How Dynamic Pricing Works on iOS

Here is how a compliant dynamic pricing system usually works:

1. You set up several subscription products and price tiers inside App Store Connect.
2. Your app collects signals about users, such as how engaged they are, where they came from, how long they have been active, and so on.
3. You use those signals to estimate which price option is most likely to drive revenue for that user.
4. The app shows the most appropriate subscription product when the user hits the paywall.

Every price your app shows comes from a valid Apple price tier. The personalization happens in how you choose among those tiers.

Many large subscription apps already operate this way within Apple’s system.

Common Misunderstandings

“Apple does not let you show different prices to different users.”
This is not accurate. Apple does not allow prices to be changed on the fly outside of the approved tiers, but you can show different approved products to different users.

“Dynamic pricing is illegal on iOS.”
It is not illegal. It just needs to operate within Apple’s rules. If your app uses real App Store subscription products and lets users see the price before they buy, you are following the guidelines.

“Apple will reject my app if I personalize pricing.”
Rejections usually happen when the app tries to bypass Apple’s billing system or misleads users about price or terms, not because the app shows different approved prices to different users.

What Dynamic Pricing Cannot Do on iOS

On iOS you cannot:

• Create pricing that is not supported by a product in App Store Connect.
• Bypass Apple’s billing flow.
• Show a price without revealing the terms to the user.
• Use hidden pricing not tied to a real in-app purchase.

Dynamic pricing systems that follow Apple’s rules are simply choosing among allowed options.

Localized Pricing and Dynamic Pricing

Apple supports localized pricing, where the same product can have different prices in different countries. That is important because purchasing power varies around the world.

Dynamic pricing builds on this. Localized pricing sets the baseline for each region. Dynamic pricing personalizes within that baseline based on user behavior or predicted value.

For example, a user in the US might be shown one of several approved price points, while a user in another country sees a different set of options appropriate for their region. The system still respects Apple’s country pricing structure while personalizing within it.

Read more about how localized pricing and dynamic pricing interact here.

How This Works in Practice

Many subscription apps already use dynamic pricing on iOS. They operate by:

• Pre-configuring multiple subscription products in the App Store.
• Predicting which price each user is most likely to respond to.
• Delivering the most appropriate product through Apple’s native purchase flow.

This kind of approach has been covered in industry writing, such as Phiture’s article on using machine learning to increase subscription revenue and Retention.blog’s discussion of pricing discrimination and subscription optimization. Both are excellent practical references for how pricing strategies work in mobile subscription contexts:

• https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/dynamic-pricing-increasing-app-subscription-revenue-with-machine-learning/
• https://www.retention.blog/p/do-you-discriminate

How Botsi Supports Compliant Dynamic Pricing

Botsi is designed to work within Apple’s subscription platform. It connects with Apple’s infrastructure, often through tools like RevenueCat or native paywall systems, and selects among approved subscription products to show the best price for each user’s profile.

Botsi does not attempt to generate prices outside of what Apple allows. It improves the logic that determines which approved product to show to which user.

This lets teams increase lifetime value, optimize revenue, and reduce payback periods for acquisition while staying on the right side of Apple’s rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is showing different prices to different users against Apple’s rules?
No. You cannot use prices outside Apple’s approved tiers, but you can show different approved products to users based on signals your app has collected.

Do users have to see the price before they buy?
Yes. Apple requires that users are shown the actual price and terms before they confirm a purchase.

Can I automate price decisions?
Yes, as long as the automated system selects among pre-approved products and does not create arbitrary price points.

Does dynamic pricing violate Apple’s fairness guidelines?
Dynamic pricing systems that use valid products and disclose prices to users are not violating fairness guidelines. The system must be transparent about what users are paying.

Should I use dynamic pricing for my subscription app?
If you have more than one price tier and you want to capture more revenue by tailoring prices to user behavior or value predictions, dynamic pricing can help. It works especially well when paired with good signal tracking and a strong LTV prediction model.

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