As of last Wednesday, you can no longer create In-App Purchase promo codes in App Store Connect. If you missed the deadline, they're gone.
Before you panic — this is actually good news.
what happened#
Apple officially retired IAP promo codes on March 26, 2026. Any existing codes you generated before that date will still work until they expire, and you can still create promo codes for full app downloads. But for in-app purchases — subscriptions, consumables, non-consumables — the old system is done.
The replacement: offer codes, which Apple has been building out quietly for a while now.
why promo codes were broken#
If you ever used IAP promo codes, you know the pain. They were single-use, couldn't auto-renew, had no audience targeting, and created a confusing redemption flow that was completely different from how offer codes worked. You'd generate a batch in App Store Connect, email them to testers or reviewers, and hope people figured out how to redeem them.
The limit was 100 codes per app, per quarter. For any app with a meaningful user base doing beta testing, press outreach, or influencer partnerships, that cap was a constant headache.
why offer codes are better#
Offer codes fix basically everything that was wrong with promo codes:
- All IAP types supported — consumables, non-consumables, non-renewing subscriptions, and auto-renewable subscriptions
- Audience segmentation — you can target new users, existing subscribers, or lapsed subscribers with different offers
- Custom durations — offer a free month that simply ends, without the user having to remember to cancel. This alone is worth the migration
- Higher volume — no more 100-per-quarter ceiling for most use cases
- Cleaner redemption — one consistent flow for users, whether they're redeeming through a link, a QR code, or directly in your app
The biggest win is subscription trials without commitment. Under the old system, if you wanted to give someone free access to your premium tier, you either used a promo code (clunky, no renewal) or set up a free trial (auto-renews, which some users hate). Offer codes let you do "here's one month of Premium, it just ends" — which is exactly what most developers wanted for press, beta testers, and small giveaways.
what to do now#
If you were relying on IAP promo codes for anything — reviewer access, beta testing, partnerships — you need to migrate to offer codes. The setup is slightly different in App Store Connect, but the functionality is strictly better.
The real bottleneck for most indie devs isn't the promo code system anyway — it's everything around it. Your listing needs to convert the people those codes bring in. If you're sending an offer code to a journalist and they land on a product page with outdated screenshots and a generic description, the code doesn't matter.
That's the part Stora handles. Fresh screenshots generated from your actual app, AI-written metadata that matches current search intent, and compliance checks that catch issues before Apple does. The offer code gets someone to your page — your listing closes the deal.
Stora is in early access. Start free at stora.sh and make sure the page your offer codes point to actually converts.