How to Set Up In-App Purchases in Your BuddyBoss App

Introduction

Learn how to set up In-App Products in your BuddyBoss App, so that you can link them to the In-App Products you create in your Apple Developer Account and Google Developer Account.

Make sure to read our article for testing In-App Purchases as well, so you know how to test your products after adding them.

Tutorial Video

Enabling In-App Purchases

1. In WordPress, go to BuddyBoss App > Components.
   
2. Toggle on In-App Purchases and click Save Changes.
   

Configuring In-App Purchase Settings

Navigate to BuddyBoss App > Settings > In-App Purchases.

Requiring Purchase

• Check Require Purchase to send members immediately to the Products Screen and block all other content until they buy one of its products.
  

Displaying Legal Links

• Under Terms of Service, choose your existing TOS WordPress page.
  
• Under Privacy Policy, choose your existing Privacy Policy page.
  
• Click Save Changes.
  

We use WordPress pages so you can reuse the same TOS/Privacy you’ve set for registration in BuddyBoss Platform.

Customizing the Products Screen

• In the same settings panel, scroll to Products Screen.
  
• Enter a Sales Message (e.g., “Please select a product to purchase”).
  
• Click Save Changes.
  

Note: The Products Screen is a dedicated in-app page ideal for showcasing membership tiers or course bundles. Free Products can appear here too.

Adding the Products Screen to Your App Navigation

1. Go to BuddyBoss App > Menus.
   
2. Under Core App, find Products.
   
3. Click Add to Menu in Tab Bar or More Menu.
   
4. Click Save Menu.
   

Creating and Syncing In-App Products

Navigate to BuddyBoss App > In-App Purchases > Products, then click Add New.

1. Product Name
   
   • Use the same name as in App Store Connect & Google Play Console for clarity.
     
2. Tagline (optional)
   
3. Description (optional)
   
4. Benefits(optional)
   
   • Short, check-marked list (e.g. “Full catalog of courses”).
     
   • Google Play subscription setup asks for benefits, and consider reusing those here.
     
5. Display on Products Screen
   
   • Check if you want this listed on your Products Screen.
     
6. Product Type
   
   • Paid: requires real billing.
     
   • Free: no billing, instantly grants access to its integration (course or membership).
     
7. iOS Store
   
   • Check Enable then click Sync with Apple.
     
   • Select your Apple in-app purchase (status must be at least “Ready to Submit”).
     
     • Not Approved: testable in Test Apps; only admins in Release Apps.
       
     • Approved: live in published app; testable by all in Release Apps.
       
8. Android Store
   
   • Check Enable then click Sync with Google.
     
   • Select your Google Play product (must be Active).
     
     • Inactive: hidden in both Test & Release Apps.
       
     • Active: visible in Test Apps; in Release, needs to be in a testing track for admins only.
       
9. Subscription Group(if product is a subscription)
   
   • Users can only subscribe to one product per group at a time.
     
   • See below for setup.
     
10. Integration Type
    
    • LearnDash Course: choose a course (must be Closed, Recurring, or Buy Now).
      
    • Membership: choose from supported membership plugins.
      
11. Click Publish.
    

Organizing Subscription Groups

Apple requires all auto-renewable subscriptions to belong to a subscription group; Google Play doesn’t so we mirror Apple’s groups for consistency.

1. In App Store Connect, go to My Apps > Your App > Features > Subscriptions > Subscription Groups. Copy a group name.
   
2. Back in WordPress, go to BuddyBoss App > In-App Purchases > Subscription Groups.
   
3. Click Add New Subscription Group, paste the name, and click Save.
   
4. For each subscription product you created, edit it under Products, choose this group, and Update Product.
   

Reordering Products

1. Go to BuddyBoss App > In-App Purchases > Products.
   
2. Drag & drop rows to your desired order (e.g., Free, Bronze, Silver, Gold).
   

Both the Products Screen and any course purchase modals will follow this order.

Testing Purchases in Your Test App

1. Install your Test App build on a device.
   
2. Log in with any user, if Require Purchase is on, you’ll land on the Products Screen.
   
3. Tap View on a paid item; Test Apps treat paid products as free, so you can complete the purchase without real billing.
   
4. Confirm enrollment into the associated course or membership.
   
5. In WordPress, go to BuddyBoss App > In-App Purchases > Transactions to see orders labeled (Test App).
   
6. Use Revoke to undo and retest as needed.
   

Testing Purchases in Your Release App

iOS (TestFlight)

1. Download your signed IPA from Build History.
   
2. Upload to TestFlight, invite testers, install from TestFlight.
   
3. Log in as an admin user to see all products (including unapproved ones).
   
4. Complete in-app purchases via Apple’s real dialogs, TestFlight won’t charge you.
   

Android (Internal Testing Track)

1. Download your signed APK from Build History.
   
2. Upload to a testing track in Google Play Console, invite testers, install via the provided URL.
   
3. Log in as admin, tap to purchase using Google’s billing UI, no real charges.
   

Managing Transactions

Under BuddyBoss App > In-App Purchases > Transactions you can:

• View all orders (Test App vs Release).
  
• Revoke Test App purchases freely.
  
• Revoke Release App purchases with caution. It immediately removes access and does not refund.
  

Note: Refunds must be issued from Google Play Console (Android) or via Apple’s refund process (iOS).

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: My products aren’t appearing in the app.
A: Ensure you’ve synced with Apple/Google and that each product is enabled and has the correct status (Approved or Active).

Q: I changed prices in App Store Connect, why doesn’t the app show them?
A: Sync again and force-close the app to fetch the latest product metadata.

Q: Test App purchases aren’t reset after revoking.
A: Confirm you used the Revoke button under Transactions, then relaunch the Test App.

Q: Members can subscribe to multiple plans.
A: Double-check your Subscription Groups so each plan is assigned to exactly one group.