Apple launches monthly subscriptions with 12-month commitment on App Store, here’s how they work

Apple announced last month that a new option was coming to App Store apps: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. Now alongside iOS 26.5, these subscriptions have officially launched and a new support document explains exactly how they work.

Apple answers questions about App Store’s new ‘monthly subscriptions with 12-month commitment’

Subscriptions have become the norm across a range of App Store apps. And most of the time, apps will include two different plans: monthly and annual.

But alongside iOS 26.5, and available to iOS 26.4 users too, Apple has added a new option that might grow popular. It’s essentially a hybrid of monthly and annual plans.

’Monthly with a 12-month commitment’ lets you pay for a subscription in 12 monthly payments while still getting the benefit of an annual plan’s discount. So you get the best rate without a big upfront cost.

One disclaimer is that the new plan isn’t yet available in the US or Singapore. Oddly, it’s launched everywhere else around the world except these two countries.

For the rest of the world though, Apple has a support document that answers key questions about the new subscription plan:

• How it works: “When you subscribe to a monthly subscription with a 12-month commitment, you agree to complete all payments until your commitment is fulfilled.”
• Canceling early: “At any time during your commitment, you can cancel your subscription. Canceling before your commitment ends doesn’t end your payment commitment.” But canceling early will keep your plan from automatically renewing.
• Payment method doesn’t go through: “You might lose service access until payment is received. To avoid interruptions to your subscriptions and purchases, update your Apple Account payment method.”

Apple also explains what happens if you want to upgrade to a different plan before your commitment is up:

If you upgrade your plan during your 12-month commitment:

• You’ll immediately switch to the new plan.
• You’ll receive a prorated refund for any unused time in your current billing period.
• Your commitment terms adjust to reflect your new plan.

Third-party apps need to manually add this new subscription option, so the rollout may be slow at first. But I’d expect it to become fairly common before long—especially if and when it comes to the US.

Do you plan to start using this new subscription option where it’s available? Let us know in the comments.

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