Apple is giving app developers a new way to reach subscribers who are thinking about cancelling their plans. The feature, called Retention Messages, brings messages and special offers into the subscription cancellation process, potentially giving users a reason to reconsider. Developers can use it to highlight the benefits of staying subscribed or offer a lower price. The move also gives them more control over how they approach users who are ready to leave a service.
Apple App Store Retention Messages: How They Work
The Retention Messages feature allows developers to show messages to users as they try to cancel an auto-renewable subscription. These can include reminders of what a subscription includes or special offers, such as a lower price to continue.
Developers can set up the messages through App Store Connect and choose which subscribers are eligible to see them. They can also decide how much time should pass before another message is shown. This means not every user attempting to cancel a subscription will necessarily see the same prompt.
For developers looking for more flexibility, Apple has also introduced a Retention Messaging API. This lets them choose which message to show based on a subscriber’s details, rather than relying only on the settings available through App Store Connect. Access to the API is available on request.
The messages will appear as part of the cancellation journey, so users could come across a special offer or a reminder of their subscription benefits before completing the process. Whether they see anything at all will depend on the app developer’s settings.
Apple has also opened up App Intents to developers, allowing their apps to work with its upcoming Siri AI features. This means Siri will be able to carry out tasks within third-party apps, while developers can group multiple actions into custom skills for more complicated requests. Apple is expected to start accepting apps with these integrations on the App Store in spring.
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