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Test in-app purchases with TestFlight

TestFlight lets your team test your app on real devices and provide feedback. Testers use their real Apple accounts, and all testing is conducted in a sandbox environment. This means transactions and purchases won't incur charges. Testing with TestFlight in the sandbox environment is ideal for team-based testing. For more information, check out Apple's documentation on Beta testing with TestFlight.

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Test on a real device

To validate the complete purchase process, testing on a real device is crucial. While simulators help examine paywalls, they can't interact with Apple's servers, so you won't be able to test purchases.

Before you start testing​

Ensure the following prerequisites are met before testing in-app purchases:

  1. Your Apple Developer Program account is active. Learn more in Apple's guide on enrolling.
  2. Your Account Holder has signed the Paid Applications Agreement. Details are available in Apple's guide on managing agreements.
  3. Product information is set up in App Store Connect for the app you're testing, including a product reference name, product ID, localized name, and price.
  4. The Keychain Sharing capability is disabled. Learn more in Apple's guide on configuring keychain sharing.
  5. You're using a development-signed build of your app, not a production-signed one.
  6. All steps in the release checklist are complete.
  7. You’ve reviewed how subscription renewals work in TestFlight. Renewals are accelerated: subscriptions renew daily (up to 6 times within a week), regardless of the subscription's duration. See the official Apple documentation for details.

Prepare for testing with TestFlight​

When testing purchases in TestFlight, always use a real device and your actual Apple account. Transactions won't incur charges when using a development-signed build.

Follow these steps to test beta versions of your app with TestFlight:

  1. Build your mobile app and send it to TestFlight via App Store Connect without releasing it.
  2. Install the TestFlight app on your iOS device.
  3. Share the link to your app with testers, and open the link on the test device.
  4. If you're a new tester, tap Accept to join.
  5. Tap Install to install the app on your device.

Your app is now installed and ready for testing.

Make purchase​

Use a paywall in your app to make a test purchase.

Once the purchase is complete, validate the test purchase to confirm it was successful.

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Please keep in mind that the subscription renewal rate is accelerated in TestFlight. Each subscription is renewed daily, up to 6 times within one week, regardless of the subscription's duration. For more details, refer to the official Apple documentation.