Apple has added a new tool that lets developers present a message to subscribers at the moment they decide to cancel. According to a post on Apple's developer news page dated November 4, the feature is called retention messages and is now available for auto-renewable subscriptions.
Apple says the messages appear inside the cancellation flow and are meant to remind subscribers of the value of what they are about to give up. A message can contain text, an image or a special offer, and Apple's illustration shows two iPhones with cancellation screens, one carrying an image and the other a discount offer.
How developers set it up
Retention messages are configured in App Store Connect. Apple says developers can control which subscribers are eligible to see a message and set the wait time between messages. For finer control, a separate Retention Messaging API lets a developer choose which message each subscriber sees based on that person's subscription details. Apple notes that access to the API is available by request.
Apple's post links to documentation for the Retention Messaging API, a setup guide in App Store Connect help and its general overview of subscriptions. The post itself does not list operating system versions, Xcode or SDK requirements, or a regional rollout, so those details remain unclear.
What it means for subscribers
MacRumors, which reported on the change on the same day and relied on Apple's post, noted that App Store users may now be shown discount offers or reasons to keep a subscription before they cancel. In practice, a cancellation that once ended in a confirmation screen could now include a pitch to stay.
Apple's wording frames the feature as a way for developers to reduce cancellations. The company has not said how often a message may appear, how many apps will adopt it, or whether users will be able to opt out of seeing them. Those specifics will likely emerge as developers begin configuring messages and as Apple's documentation is put to use.
The addition follows other recent subscription-related changes for developers, including options Apple announced earlier this year for monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. Retention messages sit on the other side of the relationship, aimed at the moment a customer is about to leave.
Subscribers who want to cancel will still be able to do so through the same flow. Apple's description is of messages shown while a person is deciding, not of any change to how a cancellation is completed.
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