Apple Is Making It Easier to Get Free Stuff in Your Favorite Apps
Mariia Shalabaieva
Toggle Dark Mode
Apple has announced new developer enhancements that could have a meaningful impact on app users by expanding access to freebies and promotional offers.
While most posts on Apple’s Developer News pages are targeted at developers, there’s often a trickle-down effect. Anything that helps developers create better apps for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac will inevitably benefit end users — as long as those developers put those tools to use.
However, in this case, the advantages could become more tangible, as Apple is expanding how “offer codes” can be used by developers. That will translate into more ways for developers to provide discounts and free promos for in-app purchases and subscriptions.
While it’s long been possible for developers to give out promo and offer codes, these have been limited to free app downloads and subscription trials — not unlike Apple’s own offers for services like Apple Music, TV, and Fitness+. Those free trials also automatically renew at the regular price once the trial ends, which makes some folks wary of using them.
In-App Offers Get Much More Flexible
That changes with today’s announcement, which expands offer codes to all in-app purchase types and adds support for non-renewing subscriptions — a first for the App Store.
For example, developers can now issue offer codes for consumable items like in-game currency — and those codes don’t have to be complete giveaways; they can also offer discounts on paid content. This will allow for more creative giveaways, bundles, and loyalty promos, not just trial subscriptions that quietly roll into billing.
With offer codes, you can present people with a limited-time offer for a free or discounted In-App Purchase. This allows you to share the value of your In-App Purchases and encourage engagement and purchases within your apps and games.
Apple
Most significantly, this finally allows “no-strings-attached” subscription trials. A developer can offer a promo code that lets users enjoy a limited-time free or discounted subscription that doesn’t auto-renew. Going forward, a developer could offer a code for something like “one month of Premium access” that simply ends on its own.
This means people can test apps without worrying about surprise charges or having to set a reminder to cancel before the trial ends. The trial ends automatically, and users won’t be charged unless they explicitly choose to subscribe afterward.
With this change, Apple is also drawing a distinct line between “offer” codes and “promo” codes. The old-style promo codes, which have been around since the advent of the App Store, will return to their roots, when they were used exclusively for free downloads of paid apps — before in-app purchases even existed.
Offer codes will now be the standard way for developers to give away things within their apps — in-game currency and other “consumable” digital items, one-time “activation” purchases, and all types of subscriptions. This will make the redemption process smoother, as the two types of codes worked differently, which created a confusing experience for users.
While developers can start taking advantage of this new system right away, there will be a transition period as Apple moves developers to using offer codes. After March 26, 2026, developers will no longer be able to create new promo codes for in-app purchases — only for app downloads — although existing ones will still be redeemable until they expire.
The expanded flexibility should also hopefully encourage more developers to work within the App Store rather than rely on off-platform offers to overcome Apple’s limitations. This means more legitimate offers you can trust and fewer questionable ones from sketchy websites.
Ushering in a New Era of Promo Offers
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but this simple announcement unlocks a whole new world of possibilities. Apple has effectively opened the floodgates here.
The ability for developers to issue codes for consumables and upgrades means brands and games can tie physical promotions to digital rewards — think cereal-box codes, event QR giveaways, or loyalty-program perks that drop items straight into an app.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but this simple announcement unlocks a whole new world of possibilities. Games will likely benefit most, as developers can now provide codes that unlock levels or grant bonus coins, tokens, or hints. Over time, expect to see more QR codes, email links, and social-media promos that drop bonuses directly into your favorite apps — all safely handled through Apple’s built-in App Store system.
