In August 2024, we let you know that Apple is requiring Patreon to use its in-app purchase system for all future membership and product purchases made in the iOS app. To comply with Apple’s in-app purchase requirements, some Patreon functionality may work differently for memberships purchased in the iOS app. Patreon will begin rolling out iOS in-app purchases in November 2024.
This article details how certain Patreon features and products will work once iOS in-app purchases are fully rolled out. This article only highlights the biggest changes to your creator experience. The ramp to iOS in-app purchases will be slow and gradual as the Patreon team works to implement these changes carefully with minimal disruption for creators. All eligible creators will be migrated to subscription billing in November 2024 before the rollout of Apple’s in-app purchase system begins. This system will roll out slowly starting November 2024, and creators may not see the new Apple fees take effect on new subscription purchases right away. Many creators won’t see Apple fees on new memberships purchased from the iOS app until late 2024 or early 2025, when the in-app purchase system rollout is complete.
Earnings insights
When the rollout of the in-app purchasing system is complete, you'll be able to view a breakdown of your monthly revenue, comparing income from transactions made in the iOS app, web browser, or Android app. Additionally, you’ll see a breakdown of your monthly earnings, including pending funds due to Apple’s payout delay and settled funds already deposited into your payout.
Pricing a tier
When pricing a tier on the tier edit screen, you will see a preview of what the price will be when viewed in the iOS app. Depending on the choice you have selected for how to account for Apple’s fees, the price may be higher in the iOS app or the same. This preview allows you to see the price that will be displayed for each individual tier.
Annual memberships
When we roll out in-app purchasing, annual memberships will not be supported at launch in the iOS app only. Creators can still offer annual memberships on Web and Android. We are working to support annual memberships in the iOS app as a fast follow.
Payout delay
The iOS in-app purchase system requires a 75-day pending period while Apple processes and makes the funds available for payout. Patreon cannot expedite Apple’s processing timeline. Funds from iOS in-app purchases will appear as pending on your account until Apple has settled the transaction.
Learn more about paying out your balance.
Unpublishing your Patreon
Unpublishing your Patreon will remove active memberships for fans who joined through iOS in-app purchases. If you’d like to take a break, we recommend pausing your membership for a month at a time.
If you unpublish your page, all memberships made on iOS after the rollout of in-app purchasing will be canceled without automatic refunds. Memberships made on Web, Android, or made on iOS prior to the rollout of in-app purchasing will become paused rather than be canceled. Since unpublishing your Patreon can impact your ability to republish with your same audience, we recommend pausing your page for up to 60 days so that you don’t lose your iOS memberships processed with Apple’s in-app purchasing system.
Learn more about pausing your membership.
Refunding members
Fans who joined through iOS in-app purchases should request a refund through Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. Theicon next to a purchase indicates whether the purchase was made with iOS in-app purchases. As a creator, you can still issue refunds for fans through your Audience relationship manager and Sales tab.
Apple ultimately decides whether to approve a refund request on transactions made through in-app purchases. You can find Apple’s guide to requesting a refund here.
Refunding fans who joined on Web or Android
You can continue to issue refunds from their Patreon balance to fans who joined on the Web or Android. Read more about how refunds work.
Custom membership amount
At rollout, fans will not be able to create a custom pledge amount when they edit their membership through the iOS app. This also means that memberships made via in-app purchasing cannot be edited to a custom amount.
Fans will still be able to create and edit their memberships to a custom amount on the Web and Android.