Introduced in 2016, App Store Subscription Groups marked a significant shift in app monetization and user experience. This feature allows developers to bundle various subscription options within their applications, streamlining the process for publishers while making it transparent for end users.
In this comprehensive guide updated for 2026, we explore subscription groups, including the latest features like Win-back Offers, StoreKit 2 APIs, and Retention Messaging. Whether you’re launching your first subscription app or optimizing an existing one, this guide covers everything you need to know.
What are Apple subscription groups?
A subscription group is a set of subscriptions united by service level and key features. Within a group, only one subscription can be active at a time, and only one introductory offer or free trial can be used per user. You can have up to 100 subscriptions per group.
For example, a fitness app could offer:
- Workout plans group: Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly plans
- Dietary guidance group: Basic, Sports, or Complete nutrition plans
- Personal coaching group: Once or twice weekly sessions
Key benefits of subscription groups
- Simplified subscription management: Users can easily upgrade, downgrade, or switch between services
- No double-billing fears: Users can explore different subscriptions without paying twice
- Easier upselling: Offer upgrades to existing subscribers at promotional prices
- 85% revenue after first year: Days of paid service accumulate within the group, not per subscription
Creating subscriptions in App Store Connect
Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up subscriptions effectively:
- Log in to App Store Connect and select your app
- Navigate to Subscriptions in the sidebar under Monetization
- Create a Subscription Group — give it a clear reference name that represents the service level
- Add subscriptions to the group — define duration (weekly, monthly, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, or yearly), price, and territories
- Configure introductory offers — free trials or discounted periods to attract new subscribers
- Arrange subscription levels — drag subscriptions to order from highest service (Level 1) to lowest
- Submit for App Review — ensure compliance with Apple’s guidelines
💡 Pro Tip: The subscription duration doesn’t depend on the level. You can have only a yearly subscription for the top level and only a monthly subscription for a lower level. What matters is the value provided, not the billing period.
Understanding subscription levels
Subscription levels are part of a ranking system within a group. The highest level offers the most features and content. Arrange subscriptions from the one that offers the most (Level 1) to the one that offers the least.
Upgrading service levels
When a user upgrades to a higher-tier service:
- The upgrade takes effect immediately
- Apple provides a prorated refund for the remaining period of the old subscription
- The user is charged for the new subscription immediately
- Days of paid service continue to accumulate toward the 85% revenue tier
Downgrading service levels
When a user downgrades to a lower-tier service:
- The downgrade takes effect at the next billing cycle
- User retains access to premium features until the current period ends
- No refund is provided — the user gets full value from their current subscription
- This gives users time to reconsider their decision
Crossgrades within a service level
Crossgrades refer to switching between different services at the same subscription level. For example, switching from a monthly text-based content subscription to a monthly audio content subscription at the same price point. Crossgrades take effect immediately.
Subscription movement summary
| Action | When it applies | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade | Immediately | Pro-rated refund for remaining period |
| Downgrade | Next billing cycle | No refund |
| Crossgrade | Immediately (same level) | Depends on settings |
App Store commission structure
Apple’s commission structure rewards long-term subscriber retention:
| Condition | Apple’s cut | Your revenue |
|---|---|---|
| First year of subscription | 30% | 70% |
| After 1 year of paid service | 15% | 85% |
| Small Business Program (always) | 15% | 85% |
Important: Days of paid service are specific to each subscription group. Upgrades, downgrades, or crossgrades between subscriptions in the same group don’t reset the accumulation toward 85% revenue. If a subscription expires and is renewed within 60 days, the count continues. After 60 days, it resets to 70%.
Subscription offers: Complete overview
Apple provides multiple offer types to help you acquire, retain, and win back subscribers. Here’s a complete comparison:
| Offer type | Target audience | Limit | Signature | iOS req. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory | New subscribers | 1 per group/user | No | 10+ |
| Promotional | Current/past subs | 10 per subscription | Yes (JWS) | 12.2+ |
| Offer Codes | Any users | Up to 1000 codes | No | 14+ |
| Win-back | Churned subs | 350/sub, 5 active | No | 18+ |
Win-back offers
Introduced at WWDC 2024 and available since September 2024, win-back offers allow you to reach previous subscribers and encourage them to resubscribe. This is a powerful tool for reducing churn and recovering lost revenue.
Where win-back offers appear
- App Store: On your product page and in personalized recommendations on Today, Games, and Apps tabs
- In-app: A win-back offer sheet automatically appears to eligible customers
- Subscription Settings: Users can see offers in their Apple Account settings
- Direct link: You can share win-back URLs through your own marketing channels
Eligibility criteria you can configure
- Minimum Paid Duration: How long they must have been subscribed before canceling
- Time Since Last Subscribed: How long since their subscription ended
- Wait Between Offers: Cooldown period before the same user can redeem the same offer again
- Priority: Normal or High — helps Apple rank your offers when displaying to users
StoreKit 2: Subscription implementation
Apple deprecated StoreKit 1 APIs at WWDC 2024, making migration to StoreKit 2 essential. StoreKit 2 offers significant improvements for subscription management:
Key StoreKit 2 features
- Swift-native async/await APIs: Modern concurrency support for cleaner code
- Automatic transaction verification: JWS-signed transactions for enhanced security
- SubscriptionStoreView: One-line SwiftUI implementation for subscription paywalls
- Built-in subscription status: Easy access to renewal info, grace periods, and billing issues
SubscriptionStoreView (iOS 17+)
With StoreKit 2’s SubscriptionStoreView, you can create a complete subscription management UI with just one line of code. The view automatically handles:
- Displaying all subscriptions in a group
- Managing upgrades, downgrades, and crossgrades
- Showing current subscription status
- Handling promotional offers
iOS 18.4+ enhancements
The latest StoreKit 2 updates include:
- SubscriptionOfferView: New view for merchandising with visibleRelationship parameter (Upgrade, Downgrade, Crossgrade, Current, All)
- appTransactionID: Unique identifier per Apple Account for precise customer tracking
- Advanced Commerce API: For complex content catalogs and creator-driven platforms
Reducing subscription churn
Industry data shows that only 3–5% of users convert into subscribers, with approximately 80% churning by the third month. Here’s how to combat this:
Involuntary churn prevention
Involuntary churn (billing issues) accounts for approximately 20% of all cancellations. Apple provides built-in features to help:
- Billing retry: Apple automatically attempts to recover failed subscriptions for 60 days
- Billing problem message: System alerts users to update payment methods
- Billing grace period: Optionally maintain access during payment issues (configure in App Store Connect)
- Payment sheet (iOS 16.4+): System-provided sheet prompts users to update payment method on app launch
Retention messaging API
Apple now allows developers to send custom retention messages when a user visits the subscription cancellation page. You can display reminders, highlight benefits, or offer discounts at this critical moment.
Conversion benchmarks
| Metric | Industry average |
|---|---|
| Download → Trial Conversion | 5–7% |
| Trial → Paid Conversion (new products) | ~5% |
| Trial → Paid Conversion (mature products) | 8–10% |
| Involuntary Churn (of total churn) | ~20% |
| Most common free trial duration | 5–9 days (52% of apps) |
Subscription groups limitations
While subscription groups offer numerous benefits, they come with certain constraints:
- One subscription per group: Users can only have one active subscription in a group at a time
- One intro offer per group: Once used, introductory offers can’t be offered again within the same group
- Cannot move users between groups: Users must explicitly consent to change subscription groups
- Fixed duration options: Only 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year
- Apple’s pricing guidelines: Must use approved price points and follow review guidelines
How Adapty can help with growing in-app subscriptions
Adapty is designed to assist developers in managing and growing their in-app subscriptions. Its key features facilitate the development process and provide valuable insights into the efficacy of the existing monetization strategies:
- Paywall A/B testing allows you to compare several pricing options hassle-free. This way, you can learn in which countries and for which products the prices can be safely modified without a blow to the general revenue model. Adapty seamlessly integrates into both the App Store and Play Store, so even the first setup can be prepared in a couple of days.
- Paywall Builder is the feature that allows for such a quick deployment of several paywalls. This is an intuitive visual WYSIWYG editor with elements approved both by iOS and Android and native frameworks. With several easy-to-install elements, you can check several hypotheses: from pricing, to benefit description and the CTA.
- Subscription analytics provide crucial data for such decision-making and hypothesizing, showing the successes and failures of each specific subscription product, as well as for the app overall. Once again, the integrations with mobile OSs mean that the data is accurate and up-to-date.
- Cohort analysis, on the other hand, allows to analyze the behavior of newcomers, grouped for clarity in temporal cohorts. Seeing people starting to spend more or less as time goes by lets you quickly assess the quality of the acquired users. Even better, the new predictive analytics feature can even hypothesize the potential revenue and LTV of the user base.
With these and other features, Adapty simplifies the process of managing different subscription groups. We make introducing several subscription products easy, as well as providing promotional offers such as free trials or discounts. And you can assess the success of your test by analyzing the real-time data, that enables make informed decisions quickly and adapt your strategies to changing market trends.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article was a useful guide to the App Store subscription groups. From the financial benefits, like increased net revenue after the first year, to the practical considerations and limitations, subscription groups offer a versatile tool for app monetization. As with many other similar features, carefully employing it offers a win-win both for the end user and the app publisher.
Developers should consider leveraging subscription groups to enhance user experience, increase retention, and maximize revenue. Introducing it is no harder than creating a new subscription in App Store Connect, yet the feature offers a more organized approach to subscription management and opens avenues for creative service offerings and pricing strategies.
The process is made even more simple by Adapty, which offers both data-based behavioral insights and the tools to get them. Quickly deploying the product and testing several subscription and subscription group options will allow you to get the perfect, profit-maximizing combo.
