🧭 Overview

Apple introduced StoreKit 2 at WWDC 2021 as a modern, Swift-first replacement for the legacy StoreKit 1 framework.
While StoreKit 1 powered in-app purchases for over a decade, it has now been officially deprecated and will no longer receive updates or support for new features.

StoreKit 2 simplifies in-app purchase logic, improves reliability, enhances security, and offers native Swift concurrency and built-in paywall UI components.

👍

Purchasely handles it automatically

Purchasely automatically uses StoreKit 2, with a seamless fallback to StoreKit 1 on devices running iOS 14 or earlier.
You can still force StoreKit 1 if needed, but this is not recommended and should only be used temporarily while migrating your own codebase to StoreKit 2.

We recommend using the Purchasely SDK in full mode and letting Purchasely manage all StoreKit transactions for you.
This way, you benefit from the latest Apple frameworks, zero configuration, and a fully reliable purchase flow out of the box.

⚠️ Deprecation and Lifecycle

🔹

Apple announced the deprecation of “Original StoreKit API” at WWDC 2024.

Developers are strongly encouraged to migrate to StoreKit 2 as StoreKit 1 behaviour may change or stop functioning in future OS versions.

🧩 Feature Comparison

🔐 Security Enhancements

StoreKit 2 introduces end-to-end cryptographic verification:

• All transactions are signed by Apple using JSON Web Signature (JWS).
• The SDK validates signatures locally, reducing the need for complex receipt parsing.
• Built-in transaction verification ensures authenticity and integrity.
• Better protection against tampering or fraudulent unlocks.
• Simplified server-side validation through App Store Server API v2.

💡 Implementation Overview

StoreKit 1 (Legacy Example)

let payment = SKPayment(product: product)  
SKPaymentQueue.default().add(payment)

func paymentQueue(\_ queue: SKPaymentQueue,  
                  updatedTransactions transactions: [SKPaymentTransaction]) {  
    for transaction in transactions {  
        switch transaction.transactionState {  
        case .purchased:  
            // Unlock content  
            SKPaymentQueue.default().finishTransaction(transaction)  
        case .restored:  
            // Restore purchases  
            SKPaymentQueue.default().finishTransaction(transaction)  
        case .failed:  
            // Handle error  
            SKPaymentQueue.default().finishTransaction(transaction)  
        default:  
            break  
        }  
    }  
}

StoreKit 2 (Modern Example)

import StoreKit

let products = try await Product.products(for: ["com.myapp.pro_monthly"])  
if let product = products.first {  
    let result = try await product.purchase()  
    switch result {  
    case .success(let verification):  
        if case .verified(let transaction) = verification {  
            // Unlock content  
            await transaction.finish()  
        } else {  
            // Handle unverified transaction  
        }  
    case .pending:  
        // Ask to Buy / SCA  
        break  
    case .userCancelled:  
        break  
    @unknown default:  
        break  
    }  
}


for await transaction in Transaction.currentEntitlements {  
    // Automatically includes all active purchases  
    print("User owns: \(transaction.productID)")  
}

Checking Entitlements (No Restore Needed)

for await transaction in Transaction.currentEntitlements {  
    // Automatically includes all active purchases  
    print("User owns: \(transaction.productID)")  
}

🧱 Architecture Differences

⚙️ Testing Improvements

StoreKit 2 introduces a more robust and developer-friendly testing environment:

• Xcode StoreKit Testing Configuration allows local simulation of subscriptions, renewals, refunds, and billing issues.
• Async purchase simulation enables easy testing of success, pending, and cancellation flows.
• Unified transaction model ensures identical behaviour on simulator and real devices.
• Automatic entitlement refresh prevents stale purchase states during tests.

🚧 Restrictions & Compatibility

🧭 Recommendations

👍

Use Purchasely SDK in full mode

To simplify entitlement management, paywall configuration, and cross-platform consistency.

• For new apps: adopt StoreKit 2 only.
• For existing apps: implement a hybrid setup during migration.
• Avoid building new logic on StoreKit 1 — it’s deprecated and will eventually stop functioning.
• Update your backend for App Store Server API v2 and JWS verification.
• Test critical edge cases: refunds, family sharing, Ask to Buy, and billing retry.

📚 References

• Apple Developer — StoreKit 2 Overview
• WWDC 2024 — What’s New in StoreKit and In-App Purchase