Apple Enables Universal App Purchases for iPhones, Mac
Apple is officially enabling Universal App Purchases on the App Store this week. The company first revealed its plans for bringing Universal App Purchases back in February.
At the time, the experience was not widely available. This week, however, Apple is enabling Universal App Purchases for everyone.
Universal App Purchases, for those unfamiliar, allows users to buy an app on the App Store once, and get it on their other Apple devices without having to pay for it again. So this means if you buy an app on your iPhone, you can get the same app on your Mac without having to pay for it again.
“The macOS version of your app can now be included in a universal purchase, allowing customers to enjoy your app and in‑app purchases across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS by purchasing only once,” says Apple.
Developers can also choose to share in-app purchases so when you pay for an in-app item on one device, you don’t have to pay for it again on your other devices.
For developers, taking advantage of Universal App Purchases seems pretty easy. “Get started by using a single bundle ID for your apps in Xcode and setting up your app record for universal purchase in App Store Connect,” noted Apple on the Apple Developer website.