App Store RejectionGuideline 3.1.3 — Payments — Free Trials

Your Free Trial Disclosure Isn't Clear Enough for Apple

Free trials are great for conversions, but Apple has strict rules about how you disclose what happens when the trial ends. If users can't easily find the price, duration, and cancellation process, you'll get rejected.

What Apple said

“Your app offers a free trial but does not clearly indicate the duration of the trial period, the price of the subscription after the trial ends, or how users can cancel before being charged. This information must be clearly disclosed to users before they subscribe.”

What this actually means

Apple requires that users know exactly what they're signing up for before any money changes hands. That means the trial duration, the post-trial price, the billing frequency, and how to cancel all need to be visible and legible before the user taps 'Start Free Trial.' Burying this in fine print or a privacy policy doesn't cut it.

What Apple needs to see

  • The trial duration clearly stated on the paywall screen in plain language (e.g., '7-day free trial')
  • The full subscription price and billing period shown before purchase (e.g., 'then $9.99/month')
  • A visible statement that the subscription auto-renews and instructions for how to cancel
  • A link to your terms of service on the paywall that covers subscription terms in detail
  1. 1Add a clear disclosure block directly on your paywall UI showing trial length, post-trial price, and billing frequency
  2. 2Include an explicit auto-renewal disclosure statement above the subscribe button — don't hide it below the fold
  3. 3Link to your terms of service from the paywall — yourapp.baseterms.com/terms works well here and covers subscription language
  4. 4Test your IAP flow with a sandbox account to confirm the exact price and trial period shown matches the StoreKit configuration
  5. 5Add a 'Manage Subscription' link inside your app settings so users can easily cancel without hunting for it

While you're at it — Apple also requires these pages for every app.

Fix this rejection, then make sure you're covered on the compliance side too. Apple requires every app to link to a hosted Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Support page, and Data Deletion page. No link means another rejection — just for a different reason.

Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Support Page
Data Deletion Page
Generate my compliance pages — $9

Common questions

Where exactly does the trial disclosure need to appear?
It needs to be on the same screen where users initiate the subscription — the paywall itself. It's not enough to have it in your terms of service or in a separate screen. The information needs to be visible before the user taps the subscribe button.
My app uses RevenueCat — does it handle this automatically?
RevenueCat and similar tools surface the subscription data, but the UI presentation is still your responsibility. You need to design the paywall to display the trial terms clearly. The SDK doesn't handle the disclosure design for you.
What exact language does Apple want for the auto-renewal disclosure?
Apple provides approved boilerplate in their Human Interface Guidelines. The core elements are: subscription name, price, duration, and a statement that it renews automatically unless cancelled 24 hours before the end of the current period. Use their exact suggested language when possible.