Ask HN: Is a token to unlock a hardware device considered an In-App purchase ?

3 points by sometimeshuman a year ago

Hi. I am building a hardware device managed by a facility manager. The manager will decide which employee's smartphones will have access.

My plan is to make the App free for download and the facility manager will access our website to buy the tokens which they then give to the employees so they can connect to the hardware. I was going to use PayPal to process the credit card unless someone believes I should have more options like Google Pay and Apple Pay on my website.

But the question is, if the manager taps a link in the App that takes them to our website where the purchase is made, is that considered an In-App Purchase ? I don't think so because the token is for access to a hardware device (i.e., not a digital good), but I am unsure.

db48x a year ago

Read the terms of service for the app store(s) really carefully, and talk to a lawyer before you actually upload anything to them.

matt3210 a year ago

I don't have the link on hand but the app store (last time I read up on it) explicitly excludes hardware based things when it comes to their in app cuts