Search for free App Store codes and most of what you find is code generators, "free redeem code" videos and pages that make you fill in surveys first. None of them give you anything. Free codes do exist, though. Developers make them for their own apps and give them away, on iPhone and on Android. Below: which codes are real, what they get you, and how to spot a fake one before it costs you time or your account.
The free codes that are real
Offer codes from app developers
Apple lets developers create offer codes in App Store Connect and share them however they like. A code is tied to one app. Depending on what the developer set up, it gives you:
- A free period of a subscription, such as a free month or a free year. When it ends, the subscription renews at full price unless you cancel. (Apple also lets a developer make a free offer that doesn't renew at all.)
- An in-app purchase for free, such as a lifetime unlock or a Pro upgrade.
Apple's rules limit how these codes work, which also helps you check them. One-time codes expire within six months at most. Each person can use only one code per offer. A developer can also make custom codes, a word like SPRINGPROMO that many people can use. Those only work through the developer's link or inside the app, not in the App Store's Redeem Code screen.
Promo codes on Google Play
Android has the same idea under a different name. Developers create promo codes in Play Console for a paid app, an in-app item or a free subscription trial of 3 to 90 days. The details, and the scams that copy them, are in the guide to Google Play promo codes.
Gift cards someone bought for you
An Apple Gift Card or Google Play gift card is real money on a card. If a friend gives you one, it's real. But a gift card code has a cash value, so nobody hands them out to strangers for free. A website offering free gift card codes is not doing that either.
Apps that are free for a short time
Sometimes a developer drops the price of a paid app to zero for a few days. No code is needed: you just download it. This is a price drop, not a code, and it is covered in how to get paid apps for free.
What a real code gives you on each store
| App Store offer code | Google Play promo code | |
|---|---|---|
| Who makes it | The app's developer, in App Store Connect | The app's developer, in Play Console |
| What it unlocks | A free subscription period, or an in-app purchase | A paid app, an in-app item, or a free subscription trial |
| Where you enter it | App Store Redeem Code, the developer's link, or inside the app | Google Play Redeem code, play.google.com/redeem, the developer's link, or inside the app |
| How long it lasts | One-time codes expire within 6 months | Until the developer's end date, at most one year |
| After a free subscription period | Renews at full price unless you cancel (unless the developer turned renewal off) | Renews at full price unless you cancel |
A real code never adds money to your account, never works for "any app", and never needs you to install other apps or finish a survey first.
The scams, and how they work
The fake pages fall into a few patterns. The names change, but the tricks stay the same.
- Code generators. A page says it can create a working App Store or Google Play gift card code if you pick an amount. It shows a progress bar, then hides the code until you "verify". Nobody outside Apple or Google can create a valid gift card code.
- "Verify you're human" walls. To see the code, you must complete offers: install apps, sign up for trials, enter your phone number or answer surveys. The code never appears, or it doesn't work.
- Videos with a link in the description. The video shows someone redeeming a code, then points you to a link. The link leads to one of the pages above.
- Fake sign-in pages. A page says you must sign in with your Apple Account or Google account to claim the code. It is collecting passwords. Apple says it never asks for your password or verification codes to give you support.
- Chat groups that "drop" gift codes. Codes posted in big groups are fake, already used, or a lure to one of the pages above.
There is also the reverse scam, where someone asks you for a code. Apple says its gift cards "can be used only to purchase products and services from Apple." Google says the same about Google Play cards. Anyone who asks you to pay them with a gift card, or to read out the code on the back, is running a scam.
How to spot a scam page
- It offers balance or a gift card, not one named app.
- It asks you to pick an amount, a region or a device before showing the code.
- It asks you to install something, complete an offer or take a survey first.
- It asks for your Apple Account or Google password, or a verification code.
- A timer, a counter of codes left or a list of recent winners pushes you to hurry.
- The redeem link goes to a site that isn't apps.apple.com or play.google.com.
Apple's advice on fake prizes and offers fits here: "Don't call the number or follow the links to claim the prize or fix the problem." Close the page.
Where real codes come from
Real codes come from the developer, either directly or through a site that works with developers. Places that hand out real codes today:
- The developer's own channels: their website, newsletter or social accounts. Following the makers of apps you like is the most direct route.
- Code and deal sites that list developers' promotions, such as getfree.app, Promies and Proffer Codes. We compare them on our alternatives page.
- Price-drop trackers for apps that are free for everyone for a while. AppRaven covers the App Store.
- Premium App Drops, this site: a weekly drop of developer codes for paid apps on iPhone and Android, one code per person. The first drop is on 27 Nov 2026.
None of these will ask you for a password, a payment or a survey before showing a code.
How to redeem a real code
iPhone and iPad
- Open the App Store and tap your photo or initials.
- Tap Redeem Code.
- Type the code, or tap Use Camera.
- Tap Redeem. If you got a link instead, just open it on your iPhone.
Android
- Open the Google Play app and tap your profile picture.
- Tap Payments & subscriptions, then Redeem code.
- Type the code.
- Tap Redeem, check the account, then Confirm.
If a code fails, the message usually tells you why. The full steps and error fixes are in how to redeem a code on iPhone and how to redeem a Google Play code.
Questions people ask
Are free App Store codes real?
Codes for one app, given out by its developer, are real. Codes that promise free App Store balance or a gift card amount are not. No legitimate site gives away gift card balance to anyone who visits.
Can a code give me free money for the App Store or Google Play?
Only a gift card that someone paid for. On Android, Google's own Opinion Rewards app pays Google Play credit for answering surveys, which is the closest thing to free balance from Google itself. It is covered in the Google Play guide.
Will a free subscription code charge me later?
Yes, unless the developer turned renewal off. A free subscription period renews at full price when it ends unless you cancel. Cancel before the end date if you don't want to pay. It takes a minute in Settings on iPhone or in Google Play on Android.
Does an App Store code work on Android?
No. Codes only work in the store they were made for. A developer who gives away an app on both stores creates a separate code for each, so pick the code for the phone you use.
Someone asked me to pay them with a gift card. What now?
Don't send the code. Both stores have a page for this: Apple's gift card scam page and Google Play's. If you already sent a code, contact the store that issued the card straight away.