Apple: In App Purchase Now Available for Free Apps

Apple just announced that app developers can now use “In App Purchase” in their free applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Before, In App Purchase was allowed in paid applications only. Now, developers will be able to create and distribute a single version of an application for free, but with unlockable paid features. In other words, a freemium application. The lack of In App Purchase in free applications forced developers to create 2 apps, one paid full-feature app, and free “lite” version of it. This method was not only very inconvenient for developers, but for users as well, as they had to download a completely new application when they decided to upgrade to the premium version.

This is what Apple told registered developers via email:

In App Purchase is being rapidly adopted by developers in their paid apps. Now you can use In App Purchase in your free apps to sell content, subscriptions, and digital services.

You can also simplify your development by creating a single version of your app that uses In App Purchase to unlock additional functionality, eliminating the need to create Lite versions of your app. Using In App Purchase in your app can also help combat some of the problems of software piracy by allowing you to verify In App Purchases.

Visit the App Store Resource Center for more details about how you can add In App Purchases to your free apps.