Apps that offer paid online group events are required to use Apple’s payment system per App Store Review guideline 3.1.1. Apple is extending the deadline for this requirement.
Paid Online Group Events
The new deadline is June 30, 2021 which should give developers enough time to add this functionality into their apps. As Apple notes, this is only for group events. One-on-one online experiences like tutoring, fitness training, medical consultations, etc., can use payment methods other than Apple’s in-app purchases.
Although apps are required to offer any paid online group event experiences (one-to-few and one-to-many realtime experiences) through in-app purchase in accordance with App Store Review guideline 3.1.1, we temporarily deferred this requirement with an original deadline of December 2020. To allow additional time for developing in-app purchase solutions, this deadline has been extended to June 30, 2021.
Earlier in 2020, companies like Facebook, Airbnb, and ClassPass fought with Apple over its rule about in-app purchases, because this means they would have to pay Apple’s 30% fee. However, Apple conceded to Facebook and let the company charge payments for group events via its own Facebook Pay system until 2021.