Apple makes it possible to pay for the app once on all its platforms – Tablets and phones – News

Apple has announced Universal Purchase. Developers can use this to allow customers to pay only once for an app that runs on multiple of Apple’s platforms.

Universal Purchase applies to both the purchase of an app and for in-app purchases on iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS. Developers can link apps for which they release versions for multiple platforms to a single bundle ID in the beta of Xcode 11.4, Apple reports. Buyers of an app from the Mac App Store, for example, do not have to pay for the same app on the iPad, as long as the developer has chosen this.

The move is part of Apple’s goal to get developers to build apps that work on multiple of its platforms. For example, since last year developers can go through Project Catalyst Convert iOS apps to macOS programs, where they can customize interface elements to make the apps work properly on the OS for the Mac.

Ultimately, all apps from multiple platforms should become available through a single universal App Store. Until then, there seemed to be a danger that users would have to pay double for what would essentially be the same apps, but with Universal Purchase, developers can prevent this. Apple is now also equalizing the categories of the App Store and Mac App Store. The beta of Xcode 11.4 appeared simultaneously with new beta’s for iOS 13.4, tvOS 13.4 and macOS Catalina 10.15.4.

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