Can we use In-App Purchases or subscriptions in Custom B2B Apps for iOS?

Question

A client is asking if it's possible to use a subscription or In-App Purchase in a Custom B2B app.

The VPP Business Guide from Apple doesn't mention In-App Purchases or subscriptions at all, so I'm unclear as to whether this is possible.

It seems like it ought to work, but I'd love to hear from someone who has tried it or found documentation one way or another.

Answer 1

The new B2B program is much better than the old one. That said, the old one allowed in-app for B2B. Here is the text from the old FAQ:

Can I use In-App Purchase or Subscriptions?

Yes, but please keep in mind that apps distributed to users using the App Store Volume Purchase program are redeemed with the end-user's Apple ID. Therefore, any in-app purchases or subscriptions will not be billed to the credit card used to purchase your app, but rather the account configured on the user's device. In-app purchases or subscriptions are not recommended for custom B2B apps.

Unfortunately, I've been unable to find the same information in the new B2B documents. They just do not say anything about it.

I suspect they still allow (but do not recommend) it, because it's not mentioned in any of the documents, nor in the 2012 WWDC presentation video.

It's not an extremely common thing, so my suggestion would be to contact them directly. The website at the developer website contains a "contact us" link for B2B questions.