A lot of advice about App Store promo codes is out of date. Posts still quote "100 codes per version" for everything, and the 2026 news is easy to read as the end of promo codes. Neither is right. Apple retired one kind of promo code and kept the other. Everything below comes from Apple's own pages, checked on 27 Oct 2026.
What Apple retired, and when
On 29 Oct 2025, Apple's developer news announced that offer codes now cover every in-app purchase type: consumables, non-consumables, non-renewing subscriptions and auto-renewable subscriptions. In the same post Apple wrote that offer codes "build on the functionality of promo codes", and set a date:
- From 26 Mar 2026, you can no longer create promo codes for in-app purchases in App Store Connect.
- In-app purchase promo codes created before then could still be redeemed until they expired.
- Promo codes for a free download of your app stay.
So the retirement only touched codes for things sold inside an app. If you used promo codes to give away a Pro upgrade or a month of your subscription, you now use offer codes for that.
What is left: promo codes for paid apps
App promo codes give someone a free copy of a paid app. Apple's App Store Connect help lists the rules:
- Up to 100 codes per version, for each platform your app supports.
- Each code is valid for four weeks from the day you generate it, and works once.
- Codes work on any App Store storefront where your app is available.
- You can hand them out by any means.
- The app works as if it were bought, including future updates.
- People who download with a promo code cannot rate or review the app.
- Codes can redeem versions that are not released yet.
- Codes for tvOS or multi-platform apps must be redeemed on an iOS device.
- No codes for apps only on Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager, and none once the app is removed from sale on every storefront.
Because the limit is per version, a new version gives you a new allowance. Codes last only four weeks, so generate them close to the day you hand them out.
Generate app promo codes
- In App Store Connect, open Apps and select your app.
- In the sidebar, click Promo Codes. The Generate tab opens.
- Under App Promo Codes, enter how many codes you want.
- Click Generate Code at the top right.
- Read and agree to the terms for Apple to distribute free copies of your app, then click Generate Code.
- Click OK. Your codes are on the History tab, where you can copy them or download a text file.
The History tab shows the date each set was generated. Count four weeks from that date to know when they stop working. You need the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager or Marketing role.
Promo code or offer code?
| App promo code | Offer code | |
|---|---|---|
| Gives | A free download of a paid app | A free or discounted in-app purchase or subscription |
| How many | Up to 100 per version, per platform | Up to 1 million per app per quarter, 10 active offers |
| Valid for | Four weeks | Up to six months (one-time codes) |
| Batch size | Any number up to your allowance | 500 to 25,000 one-time codes per batch, or a custom code |
| Who can redeem | Anyone with a code | Who you choose (for example, never bought in your app) |
| Can rate or review | No | Not documented by Apple |
If your app is free with an in-app unlock, you need offer codes. If your app costs money up front, you need app promo codes; an offer code cannot make the download free.
Moving from in-app purchase promo codes to offer codes
Four things change when you switch.
You set up an offer first
Codes now hang off an offer. In App Store Connect, open the in-app purchase, scroll to Offer Codes and click Create Offer. You pick a reference name, who is eligible, the countries, and whether it is free or a discount. Then you create codes for that offer. Offers cannot be edited afterwards, so for a different audience or price you create a new one. The full walkthrough is in Apple offer codes for developers.
Batches are bigger
One-time offer codes come in batches of at least 500 and at most 25,000. If you used to generate ten promo codes for a few testers, you now either make a batch of 500 and use what you need, or create a custom code (a word such as BETA2026) and set a redemption limit. Apple's help gives a maximum of 25,000 redemptions per custom code batch and does not state a minimum.
Your app must be live, and so must the product
To generate one-time or custom codes, your app must be Ready for Distribution and the in-app purchase Approved. New codes can take up to an hour before they work. Each person can redeem one code per offer.
Your app has to handle the redemption
People can redeem a one-time code on the App Store, through a redemption link, or inside your app. Offer codes for consumables, non-consumables and non-renewing subscriptions need iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS 15 or visionOS 1.0 or later. A redeemed code arrives as a normal transaction, so Apple's StoreKit guide asks you to listen for transaction updates from launch and check unfinished transactions and current entitlements when the app opens. Test with sandbox codes before you send real ones.
What Google Play still offers
Google Play did not make the same change. Its promo codes still cover paid apps, one-time products and subscriptions (as a free trial of 3 to 90 days), created in Play Console. The quota is 500 codes per quarter across paid apps and one-time products, plus 10,000 one-time codes per quarter for each subscription, according to Play Console Help. If your app is on both stores, plan your codes for both at once so Android users get the same offer.
Codes and reviews
Apple already blocks reviews from promo code downloads. Do not try to get around that with offer codes. Apple's App Review Guidelines say developers who manipulate reviews or rankings with "paid, incentivized, filtered, or fake feedback" can be removed from the Apple Developer Program. Give codes freely, and leave ratings to Apple's own prompt.
Where to hand out codes
Your mailing list and your own site reach people who already care. Press and creators are the classic use for app promo codes, since a reviewer can try the full app. Public code sites reach new people, but a public custom code gets used up fast. Premium App Drops will be another option from 27 Nov 2026: a weekly web drop where people claim one App Store or Google Play code each. See the page for developers.
Questions people ask
Did Apple get rid of promo codes?
Only for in-app purchases, from 26 Mar 2026. Promo codes for paid app downloads are still in App Store Connect.
How many App Store promo codes can I make?
Up to 100 per version, for each platform the app supports.
How long does an App Store promo code last?
Four weeks from the day it was generated.
Do old in-app purchase promo codes still work?
Apple said existing ones could be redeemed until they expired. Any code you created before 26 Mar 2026 has to be checked against its own expiry date; new ones cannot be made.