Subscriber Types

A subscriber is a customer who has purchased an in-app subscription item from your app. There two types of subscribers: a new subscriber and an existing subscriber.

New subscribers

A new subscriber is anyone who is not currently subscribed to the regularly-priced subscription. This could be someone who has never purchased the subscription or may have previously purchased the subscription, but the subscription has ended or was cancelled.

For both an increase and decrease in a regular subscription price, when the price update is applied to a subscription (when it becomes available in your app), the new price is immediately used for all new purchases by a new subscriber. No additional action by you or the customer is required.

Existing subscribers

An existing subscriber is a customer who has purchased the regular subscription and there is still time left in the subscription period (you cannot change a price for an introductory subscription or free trial). When an introductory subscription or free trial ends, the subscriber will be charged the current regular subscription price.

When a regular subscription price is decreased, the lower price is automatically charged at the start of the next subscription period or payment cycle when the new subscription price is applied. No notifications are sent to the subscriber.

When a regular subscription price is increased, you can choose to either allow existing subscribers to continue to pay the existing lower price or charge existing subscribers the increased price at the start of the next subscription period when the new subscription price is applied. You make this choice by selecting or deselecting the checkbox prior to saving your price increase either when you initially change the subscription price or when you adjust an existing price change.

By default, the checkbox is selected and existing subscribers continue to pay the existing (lower) price.