Glossary

Subscription app glossary: App Store and Google Play terms, explained

Plain-English definitions of 45 terms subscription app developers meet on the App Store and Google Play: billing states, offers and trials, store notifications, metrics and paywalls. Each one links Apple's or Google's own documentation.

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Billing

Account hold (Google Play)

Account hold is the Google Play state after a grace period ends with the payment still unpaid. The customer has no access, and Google keeps retrying.

Auto-renewable subscription

An auto-renewable subscription charges the customer again at the end of every billing period until they cancel. Apple and Google sell it under different rules.

Base plan and offer (Google Play)

On Google Play a base plan sets a subscription's billing period and price, and an offer adds a free trial or discount for eligible customers on top of it.

Billing grace period

A billing grace period lets a subscriber keep access while the store retries a failed renewal charge. Apple sets 3, 16 or 28 days. Google Play lets you set it.

Billing retry

Billing retry is the period in which the App Store keeps trying to collect a failed subscription renewal charge. Apple retries for up to 60 days.

Chargeback and voided purchase

A chargeback is a payment reversal forced by the customer's card issuer. Google Play lists these as voided purchases, and your app must revoke the access.

Consumable and non-consumable in-app purchase

A consumable in-app purchase is used up and can be bought again, like coins. A non-consumable is bought once and kept for good, like a lifetime purchase.

Family Sharing

Apple Family Sharing lets one subscriber share a subscription or a non-consumable with up to five family members, each with their own receipts.

Non-renewing subscription

A non-renewing subscription gives access for a fixed time and never charges again on its own. On Google Play the closest match is a prepaid plan with top-ups.

Paused subscription (Google Play)

A paused Google Play subscription stops charging and access for one week to three months, then resumes. It is a way to keep a customer who would cancel.

Price increase consent

When you raise a subscription price, the store may need each subscriber to agree. Without consent, Apple lets the subscription expire and Google cancels it.

Product identifier

A product identifier is the unique ID you give an in-app product in App Store Connect or Play Console. Your app, server and reports all match purchases by it.

Proration (Google Play replacement modes)

Proration decides how the unused value of a paid period is credited when a subscriber changes plan. Google Play sets it with a replacement mode.

Refund

A refund returns a customer's payment after the store approves it. Apple decides on its own with your input, and Google Play lets you refund and revoke access.

Subscription group

An App Store subscription group holds the plans a customer can switch between, and a customer can have only one active plan in it at a time.

Upgrade, downgrade and crossgrade

Upgrades move a subscriber to a higher level now, downgrades move them to a lower level at the next renewal, and crossgrades move them between equal levels.

Offers and trials

Free trial

A free trial gives full access at no charge for a set time, then bills the standard price unless the customer cancels. Apple allows 3 days to 1 year.

Introductory offer

An introductory offer gives a new subscriber a free trial or a lower price for a first period. Apple allows one per subscription group for each person.

Offer code (promo code)

An offer code gives a customer a free period or a discount on an in-app purchase. Apple calls it an offer code and Google Play calls it a promo code.

Promotional offer

A promotional offer is an App Store discount or free period for current or lapsed subscribers. You pick who qualifies, and your server signs each redemption.

Win-back offer

A win-back offer is a free or discounted offer for lapsed subscribers, available on iOS 18 and later. Google Play uses developer-determined offers instead.

Store notifications

App Store Server API

The App Store Server API is Apple's REST API for reading a customer's transactions and subscription status from your server, plus refunds and extensions.

App Store Server Notifications V2

App Store Server Notifications V2 are signed messages Apple posts to your server when a purchase, renewal, refund or billing event happens in your app.

CONSUMPTION_REQUEST

CONSUMPTION_REQUEST is the App Store notification that asks your server for usage data when a customer requests a refund. You have 12 hours to answer.

JWS signed transaction

A JWS signed transaction is purchase data that Apple signs, as three Base64URL parts, so your server can prove it came from the App Store and was not changed.

Original transaction ID

The original transaction ID is the App Store identifier of a customer's first purchase of a subscription. It stays the same across every renewal.

Purchase token (Google Play)

A purchase token is the unique string Google Play gives a purchase. Your server uses it to verify the purchase, read its state and acknowledge it.

Real-time developer notifications (RTDN)

Real-time developer notifications are Google Play messages, sent through Pub/Sub, that tell your server a purchase or subscription changed state.

Receipt validation

Receipt validation checks with Apple or Google that a purchase is real before you grant access. Apple now signs the data, and Google checks a purchase token.

Metrics

ARPU (average revenue per user)

ARPU is average revenue per user. For subscriptions it is often total MRR divided by active paying subscribers, so $5,000 of MRR from 500 subscribers is $10.

Churn

Churn is the share of subscribers or revenue lost in a period. At 5% monthly churn, a subscriber stays about 20 months. Failed payments cause involuntary churn.

LTV (customer lifetime value)

LTV is the revenue a customer brings over their lifetime. A simple estimate is ARPU divided by churn. Realized LTV is the money already collected.

Monthly tracked revenue (MTR)

Monthly tracked revenue (MTR) is the revenue a billing platform counts to set your bill: all purchases and renewals before store fees and tax.

MRR (monthly recurring revenue)

MRR is monthly recurring revenue: the monthly-normalized value of every active paid subscription. A $60 yearly plan counts as $5, and free trials count zero.

Trial conversion rate

Trial conversion rate is the share of free trials that turn into paid subscriptions. Definitions differ in whether running trials count in the denominator.

Paywalls and growth

Customer Center and manage subscription URL

A Customer Center is the in-app screen where subscribers manage or cancel a plan and get help. Both stores also have their own management page.

External purchase link (US storefront)

On the US App Store, an app can link to your website to buy digital goods without an Apple entitlement. Other regions need a specific entitlement.

Hard paywall (and soft paywall)

A hard paywall blocks the app until the customer starts a trial or pays. A soft paywall, also called freemium, lets people use a free version first.

Offering

An offering is the set of products a paywall shows. You change the offering on the server to change plans, order or prices without shipping an app update.

Web-to-app

Web-to-app sells a subscription on a web page or funnel first, then opens your app with the purchase already attached to the right user's account.

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