Apple on April 28, 2026, introduced a new subscription option for App Store developers that lets them offer annual-style pricing paid in monthly installments over a 12-month commitment. The company said developers can start building the new subscription types in App Store Connect and testing them in Xcode now, with users set to see them next month on iOS 26.4 and equivalent releases for other platforms.
The payment plan is meant to make discounted annual pricing more manageable by spreading the cost across the year, while still locking subscribers into a 12-month commitment. Users can cancel at any time, but a cancellation only stops the subscription from renewing after the agreed payments are completed. Apple said subscribers will be able to see how many payments they have finished and how many remain, and it will send email notices and optional push alerts before renewals.
The change gives developers another way to price subscriptions at a discount without asking customers to pay the full annual amount up front. Apple said the feature is designed to improve transparency by showing completed and remaining payments and by reminding users before renewal. The company also said the subscriptions will be unavailable in the United States and Singapore for now, without saying whether either market will be added later.
What happens next is straightforward: developers can begin setting up the new option today, but consumers will not see it until the next software update cycle arrives next month with iOS 26.5 and related releases. For Apple, the rollout is a careful test of whether a monthly path to annual pricing will appeal in markets where the feature is allowed while leaving two major markets on the sidelines.