APPLE OPENS SUBSCRIPTIONS TO CROSS-DEVELOPER BUNDLES ON IOS 27

Apple announced at WWDC 2026 that iOS 27 will expand App Store bundles to include offers from different companies, a shift from the previous rule that let developers only bundle their own apps.

The new feature works like a streaming subscription bundle: users get access to multiple apps through a single subscription purchased via Apple In-App Purchase, at a price lower than subscribing to each separately. Apple gave the example of combining Instagram Plus and Tinder Platinum, two apps with overlapping but distinct user bases. The pitch is straightforward: as Apple put it in its announcement.

HOW THE BUNDLE WORKS

Developers can now partner with one another to create cross-developer bundles. This mirrors the strategy that streaming services have used for years, with HBO and Disney packaging their subscriptions together to boost perceived value and retain customers. Apple TV already offers a bundle with Peacock that adds the streamer for $2 per month, a template the company is now extending to mobile apps.

The second tier of this is Suites, a set of subscriptions that are not available standalone. Developers can create packages that force a user to buy the whole suite rather than picking individual components, a model that tends to produce better retention than standalone subscriptions. Apple launched monthly plans with 12-month commitments earlier this year, building the infrastructure for this next step.

Apple says more details on how to request Bundle and Suite functionality will be available .

NEW APP STORE GUIDELINES

The bundle news was joined by other App Store changes aimed at quality control. Apple is rolling out new guidelines to remove what it describes as apps that don't get updated or attract customers. The company has long faced criticism for clutter in its store, and this is a direct attempt to address the backlog of abandoned or thinly-maintained titles.

For age rating and parental controls, Apple will now require developers to say whether their app or game includes . The disclosure applies to both age rating and Screen Time purposes, giving parents and users more upfront information about what an app actually does.

On the Mac side, Apple is dropping the requirement for apps on the Mac App Store to support Intel chips in older Macs. That clears the way for developers to build Arm-native without maintaining legacy compatibility, and aligns the desktop store with the direction Apple Silicon has already taken on the hardware side.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DEVELOPERS

The bundle feature opens a new revenue path for developers with complementary apps but different user bases. A fitness app and a nutrition app, or a productivity suite and a cloud storage service, could bundle together at a discount that benefits both. The challenge is negotiation: developers need to agree on pricing, revenue split, and which products go in. Apple is providing the infrastructure but leaving the commercial terms to the partners.

For Apple, the move extends its take from every subscription dollar that flows through the store while making the platform more attractive to developers who might otherwise push users toward direct billing. It also locks users deeper into the Apple ecosystem, since a bundle purchased through App Store In-App Purchase carries the same friction to cancel as any other subscription.

iOS 27 and the other platform updates will launch in the fall.