Guideline 2.1(b): “an error appeared when we tried to purchase”
The reviewer tried to subscribe or buy, and the app showed an error. In our own rejections, this is the one that cost the most time.
Apple's words
“an error appeared when we tried to purchase the Subscriptions”
“If you offer in-app purchases in your app, make sure they are complete, up-to-date, visible to the reviewer and functional.”
“App Review evaluates your In-App Purchases in the same sandbox environment you use for testing.”
What it means
Reviewers buy in the sandbox, Apple's test store, the same one a TestFlight copy uses. Products “do not need prior approval from App Review to function in review.”
So look at your account setup and the app's purchase code.
If the same message says your products “have not been submitted for review”, that is a separate problem. Fix that one first.
What caused it for us
5 rejections across 3 of our apps, our most expensive pattern, from at least four separate faults, among them the iPad compatibility window and a development-only setting that shipped in a production build.
One app went through three rejections before we found the cause, and each retry took five to seven days.
Not a rejection, but related: when our Paid Apps Agreement expired, purchases failed with “Store Unavailable” in 4 apps on the same afternoon.
From about 20 of our own rejections across 8 apps. A guide to what to check first, not a rate for everyone.
What to check first
- Make sure the Paid Apps Agreement is Active. Apple: “Paid In-App Purchases won't function in review until this agreement is active.”
- Buy in the build you sent, from TestFlight, on an iPad if you have one. TestFlight copies run in the sandbox, so nothing is charged.
- Write down the exact error text and the step where it appears.
- Can't make it fail? Ask Apple what it saw instead of guessing.
- Don't take paywall screenshots while the store shows “Store Unavailable”.
Kept for the paid guide
These three parts are in the paid guide only:
- The exact App Store Connect clicks. Where the Paid Apps Agreement lives in App Store Connect, and when a reply is enough without a new build.
- The prompt to paste into your AI builder. A prompt that has your builder reproduce the failed purchase in TestFlight and rule out the setup faults we hit.
- The reply to Apple. A reply that names the cause, the build and the sandbox purchase you completed.