Is it okay to pay for app access outside the App Store?

I’ll be honest, I’m very careful about where I enter payment info. But this time, it didn’t feel sketchy at all. The site looked nice, same design as the Nebula app, quiz was well made. Seemed like a premium upgrade.

Then I noticed: the transaction didn’t show up in my Apple subscriptions. That surprised me, since I assumed all iOS apps have to use Apple’s system. But it went through a site called appnebula.co/starseed/prelanding.

I still got charged, and I didn’t receive the content immediately. Tried to dig around and saw others mention weird charges after clicking their email. I didn’t click anything further, but now I’m wondering if I dodged a bullet.

If this isn’t violating guidelines, then at the very least it feels misleading. Anyone know if this is standard practice now?

iPhone 16

Posted on Jul 18, 2025 8:19 AM

Similar questions

1 reply

Jul 18, 2025 8:45 AM in response to goldysIennna

Courts in both the US and the EU have forced Apple to allow companies to manage transactions on their own that do not involve Apple. For several years now, Apple has been required to allow users to make purchases outside of the App Store where their cards are charged independently of using the Apple Account. Apple fought hard against this requirement and has lost.

For any fraudulent charge on your card, you must first contact the merchant, and if unresolved, you have to dispute the charge with the card being billed.

Apple does warn users of these risks in the Support Article here:

About purchases not billed through the App Store or the App Store’s In-App Purchase system - Apple Support

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Is it okay to pay for app access outside the App Store?