Can I just use Stripe instead of Apple and Google billing for digital features?

No for digital content. In the EU and US, Apple App Store Review Guideline 3.1.1 and Google Play Payments policy require digital content, features and subscriptions consumed in the app to use their billing. Stripe or web checkout is only allowed for physical goods, real-world services, and narrow jurisdiction-gated exceptions like reader apps or external link entitlements. Using the wrong system risks rejection or removal.

Do I need a backend server or can I validate purchases on the device?

You need a server. Client-side validation can be spoofed and cannot handle reinstalls, device switches, or refunds the store issues without your involvement. Validate with App Store Server API and Google Play Developer API on your server and store entitlements keyed to the user account, not the device. That is the only reliable way to grant and revoke access.

Should I integrate StoreKit and Play Billing directly or pay for a service like RevenueCat?

Both work. Direct integration costs no monthly fee but you maintain two diverging APIs, receipt handling, renewal logic and notifications yourself, typically weeks up front plus ongoing updates. An abstraction service charges $0–$500 per month and adds a dependency, but handles validation, entitlement syncing and edge cases. Choose direct if you have backend capacity and few products, choose the service to ship faster with a small team.

What if I already created products in App Store Connect or Play Console?

You can keep them. Audit existing product IDs, subscription groups, base plans and offers for correct type — consumable, non-consumable or auto-renewable — align IDs across stores, and complete any missing banking, tax and paid-apps agreements. Products cannot be purchased until those agreements show Active. Never change a product ID type; create a new ID instead.

Do I need a company or US tax forms to get paid?

You do not need a US company, but you must complete banking and tax forms in both consoles before you can sell, even as an individual. Apple and Google verify identity and withhold tax where required. Expect 1–5 days for approval, longer if documents are rejected. Until status is Active, purchases fail even in sandbox for some configurations.

Subscriptions and in-app purchases on mobile

A working paid tier inside a mobile app: products configured in both stores, purchases validated on the server rather than trusted on the device, entitlements that survive reinstall and device switch, trials and grace periods behaving correctly, refunds and cancellations handled, and a paywall the reader can change without shipping a new build.

Fby Finito HQEchipa Finito

Created 3 weeks agoUpdated 2 weeks ago

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Who it's for

Indie mobile developers adding payments for the first time and web developers who have used Stripe and assume mobile billing works the same way

About this playbook

This guide builds a complete paid tier for an iOS and Android app, from store paperwork to a paywall you can change without a new release. You will decide what must go through Apple and Google billing, choose between direct StoreKit and Play Billing integration or an abstraction service, configure products and prices in App Store Connect and Google Play Console, and implement server-side validation and entitlement logic that survives reinstalls. The path then covers trials, grace periods, upgrades, downgrades, cancellations and store-issued refunds through server notifications, sandbox testing that accounts for sandbox quirks, and the small-business commission programmes in both stores. You get a production-ready monetisation stack with monitoring and a remote paywall, not just a client-side purchase button. It does not cover building the app itself, designing pricing strategy from scratch, or handling physical-goods payments outside the stores.

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5 phases · 24 steps

Only a sample is open: 4 of 24 steps can be read in full. The rest unlock when you buy.

Phase 1: Define what you sell and how you will build it
4 steps
Phase 2: Prepare store accounts and configure products
5 steps
Phase 3: Implement purchases and server-side entitlements
6 steps
Phase 4: Test lifecycle events and edge cases in sandbox
5 steps
Phase 5: Launch monitor and keep the paywall adaptable
4 steps

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Details

Estimated duration1 day 2 hours

Steps24

Estimated budget$124 to $700 first year: Apple $99/year + Google $25 one-time, $0–$150 hosting

What you need first

App that builds for iOS and Android, Apple Developer Program membership and Google Play Console account with owner access, a backend or serverless environment you control, a user account system such as email or Sign in with Apple/Google, and one test device per platform