I spent most of last week implementing the $0 non-consumable IAP trial and Lifetime Unlock flow with StoreKit 2, and it’s now out on TestFlight. Here’s what the current flow looks like: I’m planning to submit this soon, but I’m still nervous about App Review and customer confusion. I want to make sure the trial terms, $0 purchase, and Lifetime Unlock are clear and not misleading, especially since this is an obscure workaround and the guidelines aren’t very specific. Are there any glaring issues with either paywall?

@App Store Commerce Engineer, thanks for the guidance in the accepted solution. 🙏 One follow-up question: With the two non-consumable approach, is it acceptable to offer a limited in-app preview before presenting the free trial IAP? The trial would still be the $0 non-consumable, with duration based solely on the transaction date. The preview wouldn’t be described as the trial or used to calculate trial time. In other words, are new customers required to see the free trial IAP before any functionality is available, or can it be presented contextually after a brief preview?

Since I wasn’t able to get an answer here, I emailed Apple Developer Technical Support. Here’s their response… Apple DTS wrote: Yes this is the current approach to allow free app download with functionality gated by a free and paid non-consumable IAP purchase. With originalPurchaseDate the users clock would start immediately upon purchase time. That is a reliable signal but worth noting that purchase event is not when a user has opened or started to use your app or service. For that reason a free non-consumable enables the users to know the terms and start the clock when they are ready.

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Xcode 26.4.1 (17E202), released yesterday (Apr 16) fixed it for me. 🙌 No mention in the release notes, but in light testing I confirmed I can now paste in the simulator.

Welp, I just pulled TipKit from my app as this is still not fixed in iOS 26.5 (23F5043k). I was only using it for one tip, so not a big loss. Still, it’s a shame—TipKit has a lot of potential, but there are too many limitations and paper cuts like this one.

On a more positive note, the feedback I filed now shows “More than 10” similar reports. Maybe that helps its chances of getting fixed? 🤷

@SLB13 , unfortunately, I never found the root cause. Once I saw it repro in Shortcuts, I stopped digging as it seems like a framework issue. The only workaround I’ve found is to avoid the zoom transition entirely and use a standard navigation push instead. That said, my app’s main screen is built around the zoom transition, so that’s not a great option for me. Just hoping it gets fixed soon, but it’s not looking promising as it still repros in the latest beta: iOS 26.5 (23F5043k)

One more thing… I recently heard about this from a friend who was part of an effort to form an Apple developer union—free trial support was one of their core gripes. Wired, 2018: Fed Up With Apple’s Policies, App Developers Form a ‘Union’ —Lauren Goode Relevant excerpt Apple has given developers some ability to offer free app trials, for time periods ranging from three days up to a whole year. But a free trial can only accompany a subscription app. This means that when opting to get the free trial, the customer has to authorize Apple to automatically charge them when a trial ends, developers say. The ideal situation, they say, would allow them to offer free trials for all apps, at lengths they determine, and without barriers that might make people shy away from trying their apps. Eight years later, that “without barriers” line still hits.

It’s been two months since I posted this and there’s still no official response from Apple, so I wanted to bump the thread. There are a few comments here now from others trying to figure out the same thing, so this doesn’t seem like an isolated question. I’m just trying to understand what Apple expects devs to ship here. Is the $0 IAP workaround still the right approach, or is there a better path now?

@DTS Engineer , here you go… Passwords: FB22216684 Messages: FB22216811 Calculator: FB22216904 Thanks for the workaround info.

Hey @DTS Engineer Travis, A workaround would be helpful, but ideally this would be fixed in the framework so it benefits all affected apps, not just mine. I've already had to implement quite a few workarounds with iOS 26. Looking at my open feedbacks and posts here, several remain unresolved. I have workarounds for most, but could clean up my code if they weren't necessary.

I really need some kind of alert system for posts like this so I don’t waste 20 minutes trying to fix something I can’t fix. ChatGPT (eventually) led me to this thread…thank goodness.

Here’s an even simpler repro sample that removes List and .searchable entirely: struct ContentView: View { var body: some View { NavigationStack { Text("Hello, World!") .navigationTitle("Toolbar Repro") .toolbar { ToolbarItem(placement: .bottomBar) { Menu { Button("Action 1") { } Button("Action 2") { } } label: { Label("Actions", systemImage: "ellipsis.circle") } } } } } }