Offering incentives to your users

Sometimes users might need a bit of a nudge in order to get them to fully engage with your app, you might be looking to your user's email addresses in order to market to them through other channels, or you might be trying to persuade them to share your app with their (hopefully) bounteous social media networks.

However, Apple have cracked down over the years on just how much you can try and encourage users to do a little extra. We're here to clear up what you can and can't offer and what you can offer it for.

1. App Reviews

There are two sides to this. On the one hand, asking users to review your app is perfectly allowed, provided you don't spam them too often. Offering your users something should they review your app is specifically forbidden in Apple's review guideline's.

Rewarding users for giving your app a good review, though, is especially verboten and will get your app rejected ten times out of ten. Likewise, asking users to modify or delete bad reviews is going to get you an angry email from Cupertino.

2. Apple Analytics

Anyone who's spent much time in iTunes Connect will have had their statistical dreams dashed upon realising that most metrics in the dashboard only include users who have opted in to sharing their data with you. This permission is a system-wide one and is asked only once, during the set-up of the device. While you might certainly want to encourage your users to opt-in, you unfortunately can't, incentive or not. This is because apps have no way of knowing whether a user has opted in or not, so you wouldn't know to ask, let alone who to reward. 

3. Downloads of other apps

Got another app in the store and think your audience would love that one too? It makes sense to try and get your audience using as many of your apps as possible, but incentivising them to do it is a no-go. Apple will roundly reject any app that offers a reward for downloading another app. 

4. Sharing of marketing information

Here's one you are allowed to do! Apple provides a feature to allow you to trade a free trial of your subscription for the user's email address. This can really open up your multi-channel marketing capabilities and allow you to speak to your audience in new ways. This is configured when you set up the price and duration of your subscriptions, a simple tick box and the rest is magic.

5. Social sharing

Another big no-no. It's strictly forbidden to reward your users for sharing content from your app, no matter how many times Candy Crush used to ask you to do it. 

6. Video ad views

While this isn't a feature we currently support, many apps do offer rewards for viewing video ads. This is still a-ok under Apple's guidelines, but be careful not to tie it to closely to the core experience of your app as that could earn you a rejection for excessive advertising.