• Apple rejects Hey calendar app for not allowing non-paying users to do anything within the app.
• Hey had previously faced a similar rejection from Apple for its original iOS app four years ago.
• Hey plans to fight Apple’s decision, but the specific approach is not yet known.
You hit the nail on the head. Apple needed to add a whole in-app purchase interface to the store UI to make it clear that the free game you’re about to download charges $50 for berries and the game is practically unplayable without them.
They now need to categorize apps as requiring a subscription as the only means to “buy” it or even just use it.
If the software is free to download but requires a subscription for the service, the button needs to say “Subscribe”, not “Get”. And the app info needs to show you, in loud type, the minimum buy-in cost.