storebound/skills/store-iap-setup/SKILL.md

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name description
store-iap-setup Create and price in-app purchases (consumables, non-consumables like "remove ads" or a Pro unlock, non-renewing passes, coin/gem packs, starter packs) on Google Play and App Store Connect from one product list - regional prices, local overrides, a price sheet CSV for many products and regions (diff first, future-dated App Store changes), activation, review screenshots, submitting first IAPs with a version, license/sandbox testers. Use when the user sets up, prices, re-prices or tests in-app products/IAPs, checks that both stores match (catalog diff), or hits Play onetimeproducts / inappproducts 403 or App Store IAP submission errors.

In-app purchases on both stores

CLI: storebound (or bunx storebound in a project that has it, or bun <toolchain>/cli/index.ts). One list in storebound.config.ts products[] drives both stores: id (same on both), type (consumable | non_consumable | non_renewing), usd base price, optional overrides ({ region: 'TR', currency: 'TRY', price: 99.99 }), listings per language (title <= 30, description <= 45 for Apple), reviewScreenshot, optional platforms: ['ios'] / ['android'] to sell it on one store only. Auto-renewable subscriptions are a separate list (subscriptions, store-subscriptions skill).

  • non_renewing: Apple NON_RENEWING_SUBSCRIPTION (access for a fixed time; your app tracks the expiry and offers restore through your account system). Google Play has no such type: storebound makes it a one-time product your app consumes when the access ends (or model it as a prepaid base plan in Play Console).
  • Cross-store parity: storebound catalog diff (MCP catalog_diff, read-only) compares the config with both stores: missing / extra products, type, US and override prices, localizations, and regions where the two stores price the same product more than 10 % apart (--threshold).
  • Offer codes for one-time products exist on the App Store API (inAppPurchaseOfferCodes); storebound does not create them yet (App Store Connect > the IAP > Offer Codes). Play promo codes have no API (Play Console > Monetize > Promo codes).

Prerequisites

  • Play: a build with com.android.vending.BILLING uploaded to any track; payments profile set up.
  • Apple: Paid Applications agreement + banking + tax active (Business > Agreements), the app record exists.

Google Play (API)

  1. storebound check, then storebound play products --dry (shows create/update and region count per product).
  2. storebound play products. Per product: pricing:convertRegionPrices (USD -> every region at local price points, and the regionsVersion), your overrides on top, PATCH .../onetimeproducts/{id}?allowMissing=true&regionsVersion.version=... (create or update), then oneTimeProducts/{id}/purchaseOptions:batchUpdateStates to activate (new options are DRAFT).
  3. Verify: storebound play status lists every product with buy:ACTIVE.
  4. Test: Play Console > Settings > License testing: add tester Gmail accounts; install from the internal testing link; purchases are free test orders.

App Store (API + UI)

  1. storebound apple iap --dry, then storebound apple iap: creates missing products, localizations, a price schedule (USA base + overrides; Apple equalizes the rest) and availability. Existing schedules are not changed (change prices in the UI if needed).
  2. Review screenshot per product (a real device size, e.g. 1290 x 2796, showing the item in the shop): storebound apple iap-review. States move to READY_TO_SUBMIT when complete.
  3. UI: each IAP page > "Add for Review"; this puts them into the version's draft submission. Then submit the version (owner, see appstore-first-release).
  4. Test: Sandbox testers (Users and Access > Sandbox) on device; or a StoreKit configuration file in Xcode for local runs (those transactions are signed locally and fail server-side receipt checks).

Many prices at once: the price sheet (both stores)

For price changes after the products exist (sales, regional pricing, a new price everywhere), keep one CSV: product,store,region,currency,price,start_date (store = apple | play | both; region ISO alpha-2; start_date App Store only, a future YYYY-MM-DD).

  1. storebound prices export writes the current prices of both stores to store/prices.csv (--with-automatic adds Apple's equalized prices as kind=auto, for reference; they are ignored on import).
  2. Edit the rows. Apple only takes its own price points: an exact value per territory (the error lists the neighbours); Play takes any price in the region's currency.
  3. storebound prices import --dry (MCP: prices_diff) prints the diff table: product, store, region, from, current, new, change %. Show it to the owner.
  4. The owner runs storebound prices import (asks first; not an MCP tool). Apple: one new price schedule per changed product (base territory, default the current one or prices.baseTerritory, plus every manual price; territories without one follow Apple's equalization). Play: the purchase option's regional prices are replaced; regions the product has no price for get convertRegionPrices from the USD base, --reconvert resets every region the CSV does not list.
  • Future-dated changes (start_date) are App Store only; Play has no scheduled prices (change them on the day). The same CSV feeds subscription prices: storebound apple subscriptions --csv store/prices.csv (dated rows become scheduled subscription price changes) and storebound play subscriptions --csv store/prices.csv.
  • Apple's IAP pricing guide warns that a price increase cannot be reverted once it is in effect: tell the owner.
  • Prices are public the moment the stores apply them. Never import without the owner reading the diff.

Gotchas

  • Play legacy inappproducts returns 403 "Please migrate to the new publishing API" -> use monetization.onetimeproducts.
  • Path casing: PATCH works on onetimeproducts, but list + purchaseOptions:batchUpdateStates need oneTimeProducts; the wrong casing answers with an HTML 404 page.
  • Play has no consumable flag: the app consumes the purchase after granting it. Use legacyCompatible: true so older billing libraries see the product by id.
  • Apple: first IAPs must ship with an app version ("FIRST_*_MUST_BE_SUBMITTED_ON_VERSION" from inAppPurchaseSubmissions). If the version is already in review without them: cancel the review submission (storebound apple status --cancel-submission <id>, ask the owner), re-add via "Add for Review", resubmit.
  • Reported, verify before relying on it: App Store Connect API 4.4.1 manages IAPs as versions (inAppPurchaseVersions) and its release notes say a review submission item can take an inAppPurchaseVersion. That should let later IAP versions be added to reviewSubmissions through the API; the first attachment of a new app's first IAPs still needed the UI "Add for Review" in our runs. storebound does not automate either yet.
  • Apple needs an exact existing price point for each manual price; the error lists the nearest ones.
  • Apple IAP display name 2-30 characters, description max 45 (App Store Connect Help > Reference > "In-app purchase information"; an older App Store marketing page says 55, but App Store Connect enforces 45).
  • Product ids can never be reused after deletion on either store. Never delete without the owner.
  • Do not put prices or product names in store descriptions; say "offers optional in-app purchases".
  • If the app ships without real billing yet, hide every purchase surface in store builds (review rejects mock purchases) and answer "digital purchases: No" in IARC.