Offer codes come from the people who make the app. A developer creates them in their store dashboard and hands them out in a newsletter, on social media, in support replies or through sites that share codes. Apple and Google run the redemption, but they do not hand out these codes themselves.
What an Apple offer code gets you
An Apple offer code applies to something you would normally buy inside an app. Since Apple's 29 Oct 2025 update, that covers every kind of in-app purchase:
- A subscription, for example three free months of a premium plan.
- A one-time unlock, such as a lifetime "Pro" upgrade.
- A consumable, such as a pack of credits or coins.
- A pass that does not renew, such as one year of access.
The developer decides whether the offer is free or a discount, how long it lasts, and who can use it. A code for a paid app itself (the download) is a different thing: Apple calls that a promo code, and it works only for the app, not for what is sold inside it.
Codes come in two shapes. One-time codes are long random strings, and each one works once. Custom codes are words the developer picks, like SPRING25, that many people can enter until a limit is reached.
It is not a gift card or an Apple Store coupon
A gift card puts money on your Apple Account balance, which you can spend on anything. An offer code unlocks one product in one app. And when people search for "Apple offer code", some of them mean discounts on Apple's hardware. Those have nothing to do with offer codes for apps.
The Google Play equivalent
Google Play has no product called an offer code. The same things are done in two ways.
Promo codes
Developers create promo codes in Play Console. According to Google's help for developers, a promo code can give you:
- a paid app for free,
- a one-time in-app product for free, such as a lifetime unlock,
- a free trial of a subscription, between 3 and 90 days.
Here Google differs from Apple. A Google Play promo code for a subscription starts a free trial. Google says you still need a valid payment method, and the subscription renews when the trial ends.
Google Play also has one-time codes and custom codes. One-time codes work in the Play Store or in the app. Custom codes are only for subscriptions, work only inside the app, and only for people who have not subscribed before.
Subscription offers
Developers can also set up free trials and introductory prices on a subscription. These need no code. Google Play applies them for people who qualify, for example people who never subscribed. A free trial on Google Play can run from 3 days to 3 years. Some offers are "developer determined": the app itself decides who sees them, so you only find them inside that app.
More on Android codes, and how to spot fake ones, is in Google Play promo codes.
Apple and Google side by side
| Apple offer code | Google Play promo code | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid app download | No (a separate Apple promo code does this) | Yes |
| One-time in-app purchase | Yes, free or discounted | Yes, free |
| Subscription | Free or discounted period, length set by the developer | Free trial of 3 to 90 days |
| Code you can type in the store | Yes (one-time codes) | Yes (one-time codes) |
| Word-style code (SPRING25) | Yes, by link or in the app | Subscriptions only, in the app only |
| Longest a code stays valid | Six months for one-time codes | A promotion can run up to one year |
| Uses per person | One per offer | One-time codes work once |
Free months renew at full price
On both stores, a free or cheap subscription period from a code usually turns into a normal paid subscription when it ends. On Apple, the subscription renews at the standard price unless the developer set the offer not to renew. On Google Play, the subscription renews after the trial and charges the payment method you added. Either way, it renews at full price unless you cancel.
To stop that, cancel before the free period ends:
iPhone and iPad
- Open Settings and tap your name.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Tap the subscription.
- Tap Cancel Subscription.
Android
- Open your subscriptions page in Google Play.
- Select the subscription.
- Tap Cancel subscription.
- Follow the instructions on screen.
Google's documentation for developers says that if you cancel during a free trial, you keep access until the trial ends and are not charged. Details and timing for both stores are in how to cancel a subscription on iPhone and Android.
How to use one
Developers share codes as a plain code or as a link. A link opens the store with the code filled in. A plain code goes into the store's redeem screen. On Google Play, open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, then Payments & subscriptions and Redeem code. On an iPhone, open the App Store, tap your account photo and choose Redeem Code. Some apps also have a Redeem button of their own. Step-by-step help, including what to do when a code fails, is in how to redeem a code on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Who a code is for
Developers do not have to open an offer to everyone, and both stores let them narrow it down.
On Google Play, a promo code for a paid app or a one-time product works for anyone who has the code. Custom codes for subscriptions only work for people who have never subscribed, and only inside the app. A trial from a promo code also replaces any other trial the subscription has.
On the App Store, the developer picks the audience when they create the offer. For a subscription, they can choose new subscribers, current subscribers, people whose subscription has ended, or any mix. For other in-app purchases, they choose between people who never bought anything in the app, people who bought in the last 30 days and people who bought more than 30 days ago. If you already pay for a subscription, a code can move you to the same plan or a higher one, never a lower one.
Countries matter on both stores. A developer can limit an offer to some countries or regions, and the code then only works with a store account from one of them.
Why a code might not work for you
- It expired. Apple one-time codes last at most six months. Google Play promotions end on the date the developer chose, at most a year out.
- You already used a code for the same offer. Apple allows one per person per offer.
- The offer is for a different group: new customers only, for example. On Google Play, custom codes only work for people who have never subscribed.
- The code is set up for other countries than your store account.
- It is the wrong store. An App Store code does nothing in Google Play, and the reverse.
Questions people ask
Are offer codes free?
Many are, but not all. An Apple offer code can also be a discount, such as half price for three months. The store shows the price before you confirm.
Are offer codes safe to use?
A real code is redeemed on Apple's or Google's own screen, and you never give anyone your password or card details to get it. Pages that ask you to complete surveys or install other apps before showing a "code" are not giving out real codes.
Can I pass my code to a friend?
Before you redeem it, yes: a one-time code works for whoever enters it first. After you redeem it, the purchase is tied to your Apple or Google account. A custom code (a word like SPRING25) can be used by several people until the developer's limit is reached.
Can I keep what I got after the offer ends?
A one-time unlock stays with your account. A subscription stops when the free or discounted period ends, unless it renews into a paid plan.