Glossary / App Store and iOS
Glossary · App Store and iOS · checked Oct 24, 2026
In-app purchase (IAP)
Short answerAn in-app purchase is digital content or features sold inside an iOS app through Apple's payment system: consumables, non-consumables, auto-renewable and non-renewing subscriptions.
Why it matters
Apple requires it for digital goods (with exceptions), takes a commission, and reviews each item. A first purchase must ship with an app version.
Our number
Our 5 in-app-purchase-only submissions were all decided in 11.7 to 13.4 hours, 5 approved; app versions took days.
Go deeper on this site
Where it shows up here
It appears on 32 pages of this site: 14 App Store pages, 8 apps, 6 Articles, 2 Free tools, 1 The Manual, 1 Report. A few to start with:
- AI agents ran an X account for 4 days: 1,085,925 impressions, 60 new followers, $4.99
- App Store review time: 64 real decisions, median 73 hours
- Q.App stuck in "Waiting for Review": how long is normal, and when to worry
- App Store fee calculator.
- iPhone app cost calculator.
- App Store rejections, decoded from our own
- App Store Connect messages and errors we hit
- App Store review times, October 2026
Sources
- Apple: in-app purchase: developer.apple.com/in-app-purchase/ (checked Oct 24, 2026)
Related terms
Up next
Go deeperFirst IAP must ship with a versionThe page on this site that does the most with this term.Read it next →Also worth your time
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