Guideline 3.1.1 - In-App Purchase: Using External Payment for Digital Content

Apple is rejecting your app because it uses an external payment processor (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, or a custom payment form) to sell digital content, features, or services that should be sold through Apple's In-App Purchase system. This is a tricky one, given the changes Apple has had to make in response to legal rulings in 2025. While Apple enforces this aggressively, guideline 3.1.1(a) allows developers to link to external payment providers for US storefronts. Specifically, the guideline states, "These entitlements are not required for developers to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action in their United States storefront apps. Please see additional details below". For users outside the US storefront, all digital goods and services consumed within the app must use IAP. This includes premium features, content unlocks, subscriptions to digital services, virtual currencies, and any functionality gating. The 30% commission (15% for Small Business Program members) is the cost of App Store distribution. This rejection is almost always automated or caught in the first pass of review. Apple's tooling detects Stripe SDK imports, PayPal WebViews, and similar payment infrastructure. Even if the payment UI is hidden behind a server-side flag, the SDK presence can trigger scrutiny. If you are using Stripe or another provider for users in the US, the best course of action is to explicitly state in your reviewer notes how you're using third-party payment providers, how you're segmenting US users, and that they can see Apple IAPs if they change their test device settings to see the experience for users outside the US. Sometimes however, the fastest path to approval is might be migrating digital purchases to StoreKit while keeping external payments only for physical goods and services delivered outside the app.