App Store review / Guidelines / 3.1.2
App Review Guideline · first-hand cases · checked Oct 24, 2026
Guideline 3.1.2: Subscriptions
Short answerGuideline 3.1.2 sets the rules for auto-renewable subscriptions: ongoing value, at least 7 days per period, available on all the user's devices, and clear terms. What reviewers check in practice: a Terms of Use (EULA) link in the description, a privacy link, Restore Purchases and a way to manage the subscription in the app. We added subscriptions to 8 apps in October 2026 with that checklist; the rejections we could read in that round were about promo copy (2.3.2), age rating and events, not 3.1.2.
“If you offer an auto-renewable subscription, you must provide ongoing value to the customer, and the subscription period must last at least seven days.” Guideline 3.1.2(a)
What it means
A subscription must keep delivering something (updates, content, sync, service). Before purchase the paywall must show the price per period, what is included, and links to the terms and privacy policy. The App Store description must include the Terms of Use link; Apple's standard EULA is fine.
What happened to us
For the October 19 to 23 subscription round we added to every paywall: the price per period, Terms of Use (Apple's standard EULA) and Privacy links, Restore Purchases and a Manage Subscription link, and the Terms link in each description. Each subscription also needed group and product localizations, prices in all territories, a review screenshot and a review note. The first subscription of an app has to go to review in the same submission as an app version.
What worked
- None of the rejection texts we read in that round cited 3.1.2; they were 2.3.2 (look-alike promo items), 2.3.6 and 2.3.13.
- Updates in that round were decided in a median of about 30 hours, much faster than September.
If you got Guideline 3.1.2: do this
- Show price per period and what is included before the purchase button.
- Link Terms of Use and Privacy on the paywall and Terms of Use in the description.
- Add Restore Purchases and a manage-subscription link.
- Submit the first subscription together with an app version.
Related
- Guideline 2.3.2: In-app purchases in metadata and promoted purchases
- "Your first in-app purchase must be submitted with a new app version"
- App Store Connect offer codes: the limits we hit
- App Store review times, monthly report
- Every guideline and message we hit
Sources
- Apple App Review Guidelines, 3.1.2: developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#3.1.2 (read Oct 24, 2026)
- Apple standard EULA: www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
- Our decision data (every App Review email, CSV): tensorust.com/reports/app-store-review-times/2026-10/decisions.csv (through Oct 23, 2026)
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Up next
Often comes with this oneGuideline 2.3.2: In-app purchases in metadata and promoted purchasesThe next rule our apps ran into, with the cases and the fix.Read it next →Did this answer your question?