Apple now lets you write to your subscribers before they cancel: here’s how to make it pitch-perfect

Picture Tom. He bought a golf app subscription in May, played every weekend all summer, and hasn’t touched his clubs since September. One evening, he opens his iPhone settings and taps “Cancel subscription”.

Until recently, all Tom saw next was one confirm button. Cancellations happened in a space you couldn’t reach, let alone hold, as your app never got to add a word.

Then Apple opened its Retention Messaging API in pre-release, for apps that use its In-App Purchase (see Apple’s changelog). Your app can now answer Tom’s tap with a message, an offer or a better-suited plan, right inside the App Store cancellation flow. In other words, it’s your turn to shine.

Here’s what you can show Tom, how to find the right note for every subscriber, and how to get there with Purchasely, in five steps.

Why the cancel tap matters

People rarely cancel for no reason, and the good news is that most reasons can be answered. According to Recurly’s State of Subscriptions 2026 (2,200 merchants, 76 million subscribers), 51% of subscribers who cancel say they weren’t using the product enough, 45% cite price, and 32% say they lost interest.

Tom fits right into the first group: he still loves golf, he’s just between seasons. While a one-size-fits-all cancel screen can’t remind him of that, a message written for him can.

What you can show Tom

When Tom taps Cancel, Apple calls Purchasely in real time and asks what to show him. You can answer with one of three things:

• A retention message: a friendly note in his language, with an optional hero image or bullet points, reminding him of the great habit he’d be giving up
• A promotional offer: a discounted price that makes him want to stay, signed and served automatically
• A plan switch: a plan that fits him better, such as moving from monthly to a discounted yearly plan

Two Apple rules to keep in mind: messages attached to an offer or a plan switch must be text-only, and a plan switch has to stay within the same App Store subscription group.

Always hit the right note

Targeting rules decide who sees what, based on each subscriber’s plan, trial status or subscription age. Purchasely checks them in priority order, and a default message covers everyone else. Here’s a simple way to pick the right answer:

• Not using it enough: usually long-time subscribers like Tom, whose usage dropped. Show a message reminding them what’s waiting, like the new season’s courses. For example: “Spring is around the corner. Your favorite courses are waiting for you”
• Price: usually monthly subscribers. Show a promotional offer, or a switch to a discounted yearly plan, e.g. “Stay with us and get your next 3 months at half price” or “Switch to yearly and save 40%”
• Lost interest: usually subscribers still in their first months. Show a message about the feature they never tried, e.g. “Have you tried shot tracking yet? See how far you really hit each club.”

The same approach works well beyond golf. Picture Sarah, Product Manager at a language-learning app. Her monthly subscribers who cancel after three months get a switch to a discounted yearly plan, while those still in their first month see a message about the conversation practice feature most of them never opened.

How the Best App for Golfers made it work

Golfshot guides millions of golfers around the world, and Apple featured it as a Best App for Golfers. With Purchasely, Golfshot found that adding an offer to its cancellation message increased its save rate (the share of subscribers who tap Cancel, then decide to stay) by 8.6x compared with a simple message alone.

“The cancel screen used to be a dead end. Retention Messaging gave us a chance to reach golfers at the exact moment they were deciding to leave, and pairing the right message with an offer made a real difference in how many stayed.”

Art Johnson, Group Product Manager, Consumer Apps at Golf Genius, the company behind Golfshot

In other words, Tom’s message matters, and an offer that makes him want to stay matters even more.

How to get there in five steps

Everything runs on the server side: no SDK (Software Development Kit) update and no app release. From the Retention Messages section of the Purchasely console:

1. Request access to Apple’s API: your Apple Account Holder fills in Apple’s request form for your app
2. Register the URL Purchasely generates for you: one click, in the sandbox environment
3. Pass Apple’s 1-hour test: Apple runs a quick performance test on your setup
4. Go live, no app release needed: register the production URL and you’re on
5. Next time Tom taps Cancel, your message will be waiting for him

In sandbox, Apple approves messages automatically, so you can test the full flow right away. In production, Apple reviews each localization before it’s shown. Assign a default message to every product and language you serve, so no subscriber falls through the cracks.

How to measure it

Every time Apple asks what to show, Purchasely records a RETENTION_MESSAGE_REQUESTED event with what was proposed. Combined with your existing lifecycle events, you can follow the whole cancel funnel: who saw what, who took the offer, who switched plans, who confirmed the cancellation, and who simply closed the sheet and stayed. The events flow through webhooks and your analytics integrations.

Who it’s for

iOS apps selling auto-renewable subscriptions on the App Store, with access to Apple’s Retention Messaging API. Apple currently grants that access app by app, through its pre-release program. For Android subscribers and people who already left, in-app win-back campaigns in Purchasely take care of the rest of the journey.

Your turn to shine

Hugo, our retention expert, would love to show you how Retention Messaging can boost your app’s retention rate.