App Store Connect 留存消息设置与折扣策略

Apple Retention Messaging is now available to every developer in App Store Connect, with no code or server integration required.

It shows subscribers a short message from your app right before they confirm their cancellation.

When someone taps ‘Cancel Subscription’, they’re one step away from leaving. This is your chance to give them one good reason to stay.

Here’s how to choose what to say, decide whether to add an offer, set up your first message in App Store Connect, and measure the results. We’ll also cover when it’s worth using RevenueCat’s real-time Retention Messaging instead.

How does Apple Retention Messaging work in App Store Connect?

Retention Messaging appears when a subscriber starts canceling through Apple’s subscription settings. Before confirming, they see a message from your app reminding them of its value. If you set it up in App Store Connect, that’s the message you’ve assigned to their subscription.

A retention message can show text only, text with an image, or text with an offer:

The setup happens on your app’s Subscriptions page in App Store Connect. Write the message, add a translation for each language, and assign it to the subscriptions it should cover.

Each subscription can have only one message, so every subscriber who cancels that plan sees the same text. Any offer you attach goes only to subscribers who meet your eligibility rules, while the rest see the same message without the offer.

App Store Connect vs the Retention Messaging API

There are two main ways to set up retention messages: in App Store Connect, or through Apple’s Retention Messaging API.

App Store Connect is the quickest way to start. It needs no code or access request, but each subscription gets only one message. Using the Retention Messaging API removes that limit. Apple checks with your server every time a subscriber starts to cancel, so you can pick a different message and offer for each subscriber and run tests.

RevenueCat handles the server side for you, so you can set up messages, targeting rules, and experiments in the dashboard.

Here’s how the two options compare:

(with RevenueCat)

Show messages with text and images

Offer a discount

Set offer eligibility (paid duration, wait between offers, countries)

Target messages by subscriber segment

Show different messages for subscribers who get the offer and those who don’t

Offer a switch to another plan (like annual to monthly)

Auto-translate messages

A/B test messages

Get started without requesting access from Apple

Step 1: Start with one good reason to stay

Before writing your message, ask yourself: why do subscribers choose your app, and what makes them leave?

You probably have more clues than you think. App Store reviews, support conversations, and Customer Center cancellation surveys show what subscribers value and where they get stuck. You can also use RevenueCat Charts to check when subscribers cancel (e.g., during a free trial or at their first renewal).

In App Store Connect, everyone who cancels a subscription sees the same message text. You can only limit who gets the offer attached to it. So pick a reason to stay that fits most subscribers on that plan, without misleading the rest.

For example, Character.AI highlights the one thing subscribers lose if they cancel: daily premium chats. It also lists what comes back — full ads, slow mode, and basic memory.

With the Retention Messaging API, you can show different messages to different groups, like trial users, long-time subscribers, or subscribers who have already redeemed an offer.

RevenueCat handles the API for you, so you can set up these rules in the dashboard without building your own server.

Step 2: Decide whether to add an offer

Next, decide whether to include an offer in your message. Discounts can help when price is the reason someone leaves. That said, it’s not always the case.

In our data from Google Play cancellation surveys, ‘not enough usage’ was the top reason subscribers canceled (37%), just ahead of cost (35%). As Daphne Tideman puts it: “If someone isn’t using the app, why would they care what it costs?”

Our analysis of 22 million Apple retention messages across 309 apps also found that subscribers accepted only about 1.1% of the discount offers and 0.6% of the plan switches they were shown.

The revenue impact is another factor to consider.

In a recent experience by the audio stories app Dipsea, annual subscribers who tried to cancel saw either a message with no offer or the same message with 50% off.

The discount had a slightly higher save rate (22.1% vs 18.8%) but brought in less than half the revenue per subscriber so far ($1.24 vs $3.16).

Before deciding whether to offer a discount, try to answer the following:

• Is price a common complaint? Check reviews, support tickets, and cancellation surveys.
• Who should get it? In App Store Connect, you can set a minimum paid subscription duration to exclude trial users and brand-new subscribers, and choose which countries the offer is available in.
• How often should the same subscriber get an offer? Set a wait time between offers, so nobody gets a discount every time they try to cancel.
• Is it working? Use RevenueCat Experiments to see what performs best for your audience. For example, you can show a message with no offer to one group and a message with a discount to another, then compare save rate and revenue. It requires Apple’s approval for real-time messages.

Tip

Don’t mention the discount or price in your header or body (e.g., “Stay for 50% off”). Apple shows the offer and its price separately and rejects messages that mention them.

Step 3: Write your message

The retention message subscribers see in Apple’s cancellation flow has a header and a short body. Use them to remind subscribers what their subscription includes, such as specific features, content, or perks.

If you’re approved for real-time messages, RevenueCat also lets you show different messages to different groups. Think of creating personalized messages for trial users and long-time subscribers, highlighting what matters most to each segment.

Three angles for a hypothetical meditation app:

• Highlight what they’d lose: ‘Keep your bedtime routine. If you cancel, you’ll move to the free plan and lose sleep stories and most of the session library.’
• Address why they’re canceling: ‘Short on time? Premium includes five-minute sessions for your busiest days, so you can keep your practice going.’
• Tease what’s coming: ‘A new sleep series drops every Monday. Stay Premium to hear each one as it’s released.’

Whichever angle you choose, the strongest messages pair a functional point with an emotional one.

The functional part names what subscribers would give up: sleep stories, five-minute sessions, offline downloads. The emotional part says why it matters: a calmer bedtime, a few quiet minutes in a busy day.

Step 4: Add an image (optional)

You can also add an image of the premium content or features subscribers would lose, like sleep story artwork or a guided session screen for our meditation app.

This helps the message stand out on the cancellation screen and shows subscribers what they’d give up at a glance.

It’s optional, and it only appears when there’s no offer, or the subscriber isn’t eligible for it. When they are, Apple shows the offer in its place.

A few tips for getting it right:

• Match the message: Add a relevant visual that fits your header and body
• Use original screens or content: Subscribers will recognize screenshots or artwork from your app more easily than generic stock photos
• Keep it clean: Avoid long text or a cluttered layout
• Use the right dimensions: Apple accepts 3840 × 2160 or 5244 × 2950 pixels

Step 5: Set up your message in App Store Connect