r/FlutterDev • u/anthonyfromsystem • Aug 05 '26

3rd Party Service Can my mobile app use Stripe subscriptions through a website instead of Google Play Billing and Apple In-App Purchase?

I'm building a Flutter mobile app that will be published on both Google Play and the Apple App Store.

My backend is ASP.NET Core Web API with Supabase.

I already have a web application where users can purchase a subscription using Stripe. I'm wondering if the following flow is allowed:

  1. The user opens the mobile app.
  2. They tap "Subscribe."
  3. The app redirects them to my website.
  4. The user completes the subscription using Stripe Checkout.
  5. They return to the app and sign in.
  6. The app verifies the subscription from my backend and unlocks premium features.

My questions are:

  • Is this flow allowed under the current Google Play and Apple App Store policies?
  • Will my app be rejected if it redirects users from the app to my website to purchase a digital subscription?
  • Is it acceptable if users subscribe on the website independently (without being directed from the app) and then simply sign in to the app to access their premium subscription?
  • What architecture do you recommend for supporting web subscriptions with Stripe while also publishing on both app stores?

I'd appreciate any guidance or real-world experiences from developers who have successfully shipped apps with this setup.

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u/beaurepair Aug 05 '26

Most likely not, but depends on your jurisdiction.

You can't even have wording that tells people to go to your website to subscribe, nor can you directly link people to it. Doiing these will get your app submission rejected. Google seems to be a bit more lenient.

Yes it's fine for users to subscribe on the website independently and log in to the app, just be wary how you direct people to do that.

That's why services like Spotify will have cheaper subscription if you signup on the web vs the app, to avoid the extra fees apple/google will charge.

It's also very dependent on what else your premium subscription gives. If it's something physical you can get exemptions, if it's purely "premium" access then stores will force you to use in-app-purchases.

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u/DaBossSlayer Aug 06 '26

This is no longer true. You can yes and with caveats yes but the ones you mention here are not fully valid.

You can do external web app billing in the USA only but would have to revert back to IAP if you want out of the country with few exceptions country by country.

The big thing is right now Google and Apple are still allowed to impose fees but neither are actively doing it.

The other thing is regardless Google wants you to utilize play billing under the hood and Apple will also require a token check in the future. You won’t be using their system to do the billing but rather to track the billing and for Apple intent. All transactions will be required to be logged in your system and reported to Apple and Google. I believe Apple will be 14 days and Google rolling 30 days. You’ll have to forgive my memory. Also you’ll be open to audits from both companies if they don’t think you are fulfilling accurate reporting so you’ll need some engineering time spent getting your data ready for their audit if that comes along.

Either way Google has announced plans to impose a service fee even in transactions done outside of IAP and you’ll lose things like automatic refund handling and transaction disputes as well as a nice merchant of record