/subscription-lifecycle

Subscription Lifecycle Generator

Generate production StoreKit 2 subscription lifecycle management with real-time status monitoring, grace period handling, billing retry detection, offer code redemption, win-back offers, and upgrade/downgrade path support.

Different from paywall-generator: The paywall generator handles the purchase UI and initial transaction. This skill handles everything that happens after purchase — monitoring subscription state changes, handling payment failures, retaining churning users, and managing tier transitions.

Why retention math dominates acquisition (per Apple's Tech Talk):

• Commission compounds: 70% net in year one → 85% once a subscriber passes 1 year. Retained subscribers are literally worth more per renewal.
• The base compounds harder: from 10,000 subscribers, 12 months later 85% monthly retention leaves 1,673; 90% leaves 3,487; 95% leaves 5,688. A 5-point retention gain more than doubles the surviving base.

When This Skill Activates

Use this skill when the user:

• Asks about "subscription management" or "subscription lifecycle"
• Mentions "grace period handling" or "grace period UI"
• Wants "billing retry" detection or payment failure handling
• Asks about "win-back offers" or "re-engagement offers"
• Mentions "subscription status" monitoring or dashboard
• Wants "upgrade/downgrade" path management
• Asks about "offer codes" or "promotional offers"
• Mentions "subscription churn" or "retention"
• Wants to "track subscription state changes"

Pre-Generation Checks

1. Project Context Detection

• Check deployment target (StoreKit 2 requires iOS 15+)
• Check for @Observable support (iOS 17+ / macOS 14+)
• Check Swift version (requires Swift 5.9+)
• Identify source file locations

2. Existing StoreKit Detection

Search for existing subscription code:

Glob: **/*Store*.swift, **/*Subscription*.swift, **/*Entitlement*.swift
Grep: "import StoreKit" or "Transaction.updates" or "Product.SubscriptionInfo"

If paywall-generator output found:

• Integrate with existing StoreKitManager — don't duplicate product loading
• Extend existing SubscriptionStatus enum if present
• Wire into existing transaction listener

If no existing StoreKit code found:

• Generate standalone — include minimal product loading
• Recommend running paywall-generator for purchase UI

3. Entitlement Check

Grep: "In-App Purchase" or "StoreKit" in *.entitlements

If missing, warn user to add the In-App Purchase capability in Xcode.

Configuration Questions

Ask user via AskUserQuestion:

1. Subscription tiers?

   • Single tier (one plan, e.g., "Pro")
   • Multiple tiers (e.g., "Basic", "Pro", "Business") with upgrade/downgrade paths

2. Lifecycle features? (multi-select)

   • Grace period detection and UI messaging
   • Billing retry period handling
   • Offer code redemption (App Store offer codes)
   • Win-back offers for expired subscribers
   • Upgrade/downgrade/crossgrade management

3. Include subscription dashboard UI?

   • Yes — SwiftUI view showing current plan, renewal date, management options
   • No — logic only, integrate into existing UI

4. Server-side verification?

   • Client-only (StoreKit 2 on-device verification) — recommended for most apps
   • Server-side (App Store Server API v2) — for apps with server backends

Generation Process

Step 1: Read Templates and Patterns

Read patterns.md for lifecycle state diagrams and StoreKit 2 behavior reference. Read templates.md for production Swift code templates.

Step 2: Create Core Files

Generate these files:

1. SubscriptionState.swift — Comprehensive enum for all lifecycle states
2. SubscriptionMonitor.swift — @Observable class monitoring real-time status via Transaction.updates and Product.SubscriptionInfo
3. SubscriptionEntitlement.swift — Maps product IDs to feature access levels

Step 3: Create Lifecycle Handlers

Based on configuration: 4. GracePeriodHandler.swift — If grace period selected 5. OfferManager.swift — If offer codes or win-back selected

Step 4: Create UI Files

If dashboard UI selected: 6. SubscriptionDashboardView.swift — SwiftUI view for plan management

Step 5: Determine File Location

Check project structure:

• If Sources/Store/ exists → Sources/Store/Lifecycle/
• If Sources/ exists → Sources/SubscriptionLifecycle/
• If App/ exists → App/SubscriptionLifecycle/
• Otherwise → SubscriptionLifecycle/

Output Format

After generation, provide:

Files Created

SubscriptionLifecycle/
├── SubscriptionState.swift           # All lifecycle states enum
├── SubscriptionMonitor.swift         # Real-time status monitoring
├── SubscriptionEntitlement.swift     # Product ID → feature mapping
├── GracePeriodHandler.swift          # Grace period detection & UI (optional)
├── OfferManager.swift                # Offers, codes, win-back (optional)
└── SubscriptionDashboardView.swift   # Plan management UI (optional)

Integration with Existing Paywall

If paywall-generator was already used:

// In your existing StoreKitManager, add lifecycle monitoring
@Observable
final class StoreKitManager {
    // ... existing product loading and purchase code ...

    let lifecycleMonitor = SubscriptionMonitor()

    func startMonitoring() async {
        await lifecycleMonitor.start(
            groupID: "your.subscription.group",
            entitlements: SubscriptionEntitlement.default
        )
    }
}

App Entry Point:

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    @State private var monitor = SubscriptionMonitor()

    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
                .environment(monitor)
                .task { await monitor.start(groupID: "your.group.id") }
        }
    }
}

Check Access Anywhere:

struct PremiumFeatureView: View {
    @Environment(SubscriptionMonitor.self) private var monitor

    var body: some View {
        if monitor.hasAccess {
            // Full feature
            PremiumContent()
        } else if monitor.state == .inGracePeriod {
            // Feature still accessible, but show payment warning
            VStack {
                PaymentWarningBanner()
                PremiumContent()
            }
        } else {
            // Show paywall
            PaywallView()
        }
    }
}

Grace Period Notification:

struct ContentView: View {
    @Environment(SubscriptionMonitor.self) private var monitor

    var body: some View {
        NavigationStack {
            MainContent()
                .overlay(alignment: .top) {
                    if monitor.state == .inGracePeriod {
                        GracePeriodBanner(
                            daysRemaining: monitor.gracePeriodDaysRemaining,
                            onFixPayment: { /* open manage subscriptions */ }
                        )
                    }
                }
        }
    }
}

Win-Back Offer:

struct ExpiredUserView: View {
    @State private var offerManager = OfferManager()

    var body: some View {
        if let winBackOffer = offerManager.availableWinBackOffer {
            WinBackOfferCard(offer: winBackOffer) {
                try await offerManager.redeemWinBackOffer(winBackOffer)
            }
        } else {
            StandardPaywallView()
        }
    }
}

Testing

@Test
func gracePeriodGrantsAccess() async throws {
    let monitor = SubscriptionMonitor()
    monitor.updateState(.inGracePeriod(expiresIn: 3))

    #expect(monitor.hasAccess == true)
    #expect(monitor.gracePeriodDaysRemaining == 3)
}

@Test
func billingRetryLimitsAccess() async throws {
    let monitor = SubscriptionMonitor()
    monitor.updateState(.inBillingRetry)

    // Apple's guidance: stop full service at billing retry (grace period is
    // where you keep serving). Prefer limited access over a hard cut.
    #expect(monitor.hasAccess == false)
    #expect(monitor.shouldShowPaymentWarning == true)
}

@Test
func expiredRevokesAccess() async throws {
    let monitor = SubscriptionMonitor()
    monitor.updateState(.expired(reason: .autoRenewDisabled))

    #expect(monitor.hasAccess == false)
}

@Test
func upgradeChangesEntitlementLevel() async throws {
    let entitlements = SubscriptionEntitlement.default
    let basicLevel = entitlements.accessLevel(for: "com.app.basic.monthly")
    let proLevel = entitlements.accessLevel(for: "com.app.pro.monthly")

    #expect(proLevel > basicLevel)
}

Common Patterns

Status Checking

// Check current subscription state
let state = monitor.state
switch state {
case .active(let renewalDate):
    print("Active until \(renewalDate)")
case .inGracePeriod(let expiresIn):
    print("Payment issue — \(expiresIn) days to fix")
case .inBillingRetry:
    print("Apple retrying payment")
case .expired(let reason):
    print("Expired: \(reason)")
case .revoked:
    print("Refunded or revoked")
default:
    break
}

Per-State Entitlement & Messaging

Model the full subscriber state machine — each state gets its own entitlement decision and its own message:

Do NOT re-pitch or discount users in billing retry — the App Store retries billing automatically for up to 60 days and is actively recovering them. And recoveries inside the grace window preserve billing-date continuity: no revenue gap.

Grace Period Notification

// Show in-app banner during grace period
if case .inGracePeriod(let days) = monitor.state {
    Banner(
        message: "Payment issue. Update payment method within \(days) days.",
        action: "Fix Now",
        onTap: { await openSubscriptionManagement() }
    )
}

Catch Voluntary Churn Before Expiry

Per Apple's Tech Talk, >90% of customers cancel with at least 2 days of paid service remaining — the cancel-to-expiry window is your save-offer moment:

// Still entitled, but auto-renew just flipped off — surface a save offer NOW
if status.state == .subscribed,
   case .verified(let renewalInfo) = status.renewalInfo,
   renewalInfo.willAutoRenew == false {
    showSaveOffer()
}

// Tailor win-backs after expiry
if let reason = renewalInfo.expirationReason,
   reason == .didNotConsentToPriceIncrease {
    // Price-sensitive churn — lead with a win-back offer
}

Defer Apple's Billing Sheet (Message API)

The App Store wants to show its own payment-update sheet on next launch after a billing failure. Use the StoreKit Message API to defer it past critical moments (mid-checkout, mid-workout):

for await message in Message.messages where message.reason == .billingIssue {
    await deferUntilSafeMoment()
    try? message.display(in: windowScene)
}

Server Notifications to Wire (V2)

Offer Code Redemption

// Present the system offer code redemption sheet
try await AppStore.presentOfferCodeRedeemSheet(in: windowScene)

Tier Upgrade

// Upgrade from Basic to Pro (takes effect immediately)
let proProduct = try await Product.products(for: ["com.app.pro.monthly"]).first!
let result = try await proProduct.purchase()
// StoreKit handles prorating automatically

Gotchas

Transaction.currentEntitlements vs Product.SubscriptionInfo.status

• Transaction.currentEntitlements — Returns currently active transactions. Use for checking if user has access RIGHT NOW. Does not include grace period or billing retry details.
• Migrate to Transaction.currentEntitlements(for:) — plural by design: one product can carry multiple current transactions (e.g., the user's own purchase plus a Family Sharing transaction).
• Product.SubscriptionInfo.status — Returns detailed subscription status array including grace period state, billing retry, renewal info. Use for lifecycle management and showing appropriate UI.
• Rule: Use currentEntitlements for simple access checks. Use SubscriptionInfo.status for lifecycle state handling.

Grace Period vs Billing Retry Period

• Grace period (opt-in in App Store Connect): choose 3, 16, or 28 days — pick 28 for maximum recovery. Per Apple's Tech Talk, ~40% of customers fix billing within 3 days, 75% within 16, and up to 90% within 28.
• Billing retry period: After grace period expires (or if no grace period), Apple retries billing automatically for up to 60 days. Don't re-pitch users already in retry — the App Store is recovering them.
• Entitlement rule (renewalState): keep serving .inGracePeriod; stop full service at .inBillingRetryPeriod — but prefer limited access over a hard cut, plus a persistent fix-payment banner.

Sandbox vs Production Testing

• Sandbox subscriptions renew at accelerated rates (monthly = ~5 minutes)
• Sandbox does not support all offer types
• Transaction.environment tells you if you're in sandbox, production, or Xcode
• Grace periods behave differently in sandbox — shorter durations
• Always test with StoreKit Testing in Xcode first, then sandbox, then TestFlight

Offer Eligibility

• Introductory offers: Only for users who have never subscribed to any product in the subscription group
• Promotional offers: Require signing with your App Store Connect key; you control eligibility
• Offer codes: One-time use codes you generate in App Store Connect; limited to 10M per app per quarter
• Win-back offers (iOS 18+): Apple determines eligibility for lapsed subscribers; you configure in App Store Connect

Transaction.finish() is Critical

Never forget to call transaction.finish(). Unfinished transactions will be re-delivered on every app launch, causing duplicate processing and potential UI glitches.

References

• templates.md — All production Swift code templates
• patterns.md — Lifecycle state diagrams, StoreKit 2 behavior reference, anti-patterns
• Related: generators/paywall-generator — Purchase UI and initial transaction handling
• Related: monetization/monetization-strategy — Pricing tiers and revenue planning