Billing Grace Period for App Store subscriptions

What happens when a renewal fails

When a card has expired or lacks funds, the renewal fails and the subscription enters billing retry. The App Store keeps trying to collect payment for up to 60 days (StoreKit documentation). Without a grace period, access is cut off during that time, and the days of paid service that lead to the 15% rate after a year stop counting.

With a grace period the person keeps using paid features while Apple keeps trying to charge them. If the payment goes through before the grace period ends, Apple treats the subscription as uninterrupted, and neither the days of paid service nor your revenue are lost. If it goes through later but within 60 days, the new renewal date counts from the day of payment. If the money never arrives, you gave the grace days away, which is how section 3.8(c) of Schedule 2 to the Apple agreement, as updated October 13, 2026, defines it.

Where it lives in App Store Connect

Go to App Store Connect › Apps › your app › Subscriptions › Billing Grace Period › Set Up Billing Grace Period. As of October 16, 2026, there is one setting per app and it covers all of its subscriptions, you can't set it for a single subscription. The Account Holder, Admin and App Manager roles can change it.

The dialog asks for a duration, the renewal types and the environment. All Renewals also covers people moving from a free offer to a paid subscription, while Only Paid to Paid Renewals covers renewals of subscriptions that are already paid. Only Sandbox Environment limits it to the sandbox, Production and Sandbox Environment turns it on everywhere.

Apple's durations and numbers

What	Apple's rule
Durations to choose from	3, 16 or 28 days
Weekly subscriptions	3 days, or 6 days instead of 16 and 28
Monthly and annual subscriptions	3, 16 or 28 days
Billing retry	up to 60 days
Changing the setting	takes effect within 24 hours, for upcoming renewals only
Someone already in a grace period	keeps the duration assigned
Monthly plans with a 12-month commitment	no grace period

Per App Store Connect Help and StoreKit documentation, checked October 16, 2026.

What the subscriber sees

During the grace period nothing changes for the person, paid features keep working. Since iOS 16.4 the App Store reminds them about the problem on its own. When the app launches, StoreKit shows a Billing Problem sheet where they can update their payment method without leaving the app (StoreKit documentation). They can also fix it in their Apple Account settings.

The reminder keeps coming for all 60 days, less often as time goes on. On days 1–3 once every 24 hours, days 4–16 every 72 hours, days 17–30 every 96 hours and days 31–60 every 120 hours. It stops once the person fixes the problem, cancels the subscription or the retry period ends.

How it shows up in code and on the server

• RenewalState.inGracePeriod. The subscription is in a grace period and is entitled to service (documentation).
• RenewalInfo.gracePeriodExpirationDate. When the grace period ends. Throughout it, isInBillingRetry is true.
• inBillingRetryPeriod with no grace date. Apple is still trying to charge, but the subscription is no longer entitled to service.
• App Store notifications. DID_FAIL_TO_RENEW with the GRACE_PERIOD subtype on entering the grace period, GRACE_PERIOD_EXPIRED on leaving it, DID_RENEW with BILLING_RECOVERY after a successful charge, and EXPIRED with BILLING_RETRY when 60 days pass with no payment.

How to turn it on, step by step

1. Turn on Billing Grace Period in the sandbox only, choosing Only Sandbox Environment.
2. Teach the app to tell inGracePeriod from inBillingRetryPeriod and keep access until gracePeriodExpirationDate.
3. If you run your own server, handle the DID_FAIL_TO_RENEW, GRACE_PERIOD_EXPIRED and DID_RENEW notifications.
4. Test a failed renewal in the sandbox.
5. Switch the environment to Production and Sandbox Environment.
6. Don't suppress the Billing Problem sheet, it is the quickest way for people to fix their payment.

Appto shows purchases and subscription renewals as they happen, with the country and the paywall (live sales in Appto).

Common mistakes

• Turning it on and forgetting the code. App Store Connect Help points out that the app has to check the renewal status itself. Without that, someone in a grace period sees the purchase screen.
• Cutting access on the first day of a failure. StoreKit documentation says a subscription in inGracePeriod is entitled to service, and locking it early defeats the purpose of the setting.
• Expecting 28 days on a weekly plan. Apple shortens it to 6 days so the grace period is never longer than the subscription itself.
• Confusing it with the Retention Grace Period. That is a different term from Apple's agreement, the 60 days in which a returning subscriber keeps their year of paid service (App Store commission).