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App Store Integration Guide

1. Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

• An App Store Connect account with Admin or Account Holder role
• A Refund Guard account
• A secure place to store your Issuer ID, Key ID, and .p8 private key file

2. Step 1: Choose a Subscription Plan

2.1 Available Plans

• Basic: Connect up to 10 apps, process up to $400 in refund requests per month.
• Pro (Recommended): Unlimited app connections, process up to $1,000 in refund requests per month.
• Premium: Unlimited app connections and unlimited refund request processing.

2.2 7-Day Free Trial

2.3 How to Subscribe

1. Log in to Refund Guard and go to the Subscription tab
2. Review the available plans — we recommend Pro with annual billing for most developers
3. If you have higher needs, you can choose the Premium plan
4. Click Subscribe and add a payment method
5. Your 7-day free trial starts immediately — you won't be charged until the trial period ends

3. Step 2: Configure App Store Connect API Credentials

Refund Guard uses an App Store Connect API key to verify transactions and send consumption data to Apple. Follow these steps to create and connect the key.

3.1 Open Users and Access

1. Sign in to App Store Connect.
2. In the top bar, click Users and Access.

3.2 Create an In-App Purchase API Key

1. In Users and Access, open the Integrations tab.
2. In the left sidebar, select In-App Purchase.
3. Click the Create key button (the + icon next to "Active").

3.3 Generate the API Key

A dialog will appear. Enter a name for the key (e.g., "Refund Guard") and click Generate. The key will be added to your active keys list.

3.4 Collect Your Credentials

On the In-App Purchase keys page, collect the following three values:

• Issuer ID — click "Copy" to copy it.
• Key ID — click "Copy Key ID".
• .p8 Private Key — click "Download In-App Purchase Key" to download the .p8 file. Apple only allows downloading this file once, so store it securely.

3.5 Enter Credentials in Refund Guard

1. Log in to Refund Guard and go to the Settings tab.
2. Paste your Issuer ID into the Issuer ID field.
3. Paste your Key ID into the Key ID field.
4. Upload your .p8 file into the In-App Purchase Key field.
5. Click Save Changes to store your credentials securely.

4. Step 3: Connect Your App

Now you'll connect your app in Refund Guard and configure App Store Server Notifications so Apple can send real-time refund events directly to Refund Guard.

4.1 Connect Your App in Refund Guard

1. In Refund Guard, go to the Apps tab.
2. Click Connect App.
3. Enter your App Store URL or Apple ID and click Connect.
4. Once connected, your app will display a unique Webhook URL. Copy this URL — you will need it in the next step.

4.2 Set the Production Server URL in App Store Connect

4.2.1 Select Your App

1. Sign in to App Store Connect.
2. In the top bar, click Apps and select your app.

4.2.2 Open App Store Server Notifications

1. Open the App Information section (in the left sidebar under General).
2. Scroll down to the App Store Server Notifications section.
3. In the Production Server URL section, click Set Up URL (or Edit if already configured).

4.2.3 Configure the URL

1. In the Production Server URL field, paste the Webhook URL you copied from Refund Guard.
2. Click Save.

5. Step 4: Send a Test Notification

After configuring the URL, verify that Refund Guard can successfully send a test notification to Apple.

5.1 Send the Test Notification

1. In Refund Guard, go to the Apps tab and find your app.
2. Click the Send Test Notification button.
3. Wait for the confirmation message — this may take a few seconds.

5.2 Verify the Test Was Sent

If successful, you will see a confirmation message indicating that the test notification was sent. If you see an error:

• Double-check that your API credentials (Issuer ID, Key ID, .p8) are correct in Settings
• Verify that the Production Server URL in App Store Connect matches the Webhook URL in Refund Guard

6. Step 5: Receive the Test Notification

After sending the test notification, you should receive it in Refund Guard's Consumption Notifications tab. This confirms that the entire flow — from Apple to Refund Guard — is working correctly.

6.1 Check the Consumption Notifications Tab

1. In Refund Guard, go to the Consumption Notifications tab.
2. Look for the test notification — it should appear within a few seconds to a minute.
3. The notification will be labeled as a test notification and show the notification type and timestamp.

6.2 What a Successful Setup Looks Like

If you see the test notification in the Consumption Notifications tab, congratulations — your integration is complete and working correctly! Refund Guard will now automatically:

• Receive real-time refund requests from Apple
• Send consumption data to Apple to help with refund decisions
• Track and display all refund-related events in your dashboard

7. Optional: Notification Forwarding

Refund Guard can forward the notifications it receives from Apple to additional endpoints — such as your own backend, analytics services, or subscription management tools.

Common use cases:

• Keeping your existing backend webhook endpoint active
• Forwarding to multiple analytics or subscription services simultaneously
• Testing new services alongside your current setup

To configure forwarding:

1. In Refund Guard, go to the Apps tab and select your app.
2. Find the Notification Forwarding URLs section and click Add or Edit.
3. Add the destination URLs you want to forward to.
4. Click Save to apply the changes.

Note: Refund Guard processes each notification first (to handle refund requests), then forwards it to all configured URLs.

8. Summary

For a complete and reliable integration, you have now completed:

1. Chosen a subscription plan (Pro annual recommended, with 7-day free trial)
2. Configured App Store Connect API credentials (Issuer ID, Key ID, .p8 key) in Refund Guard Settings
3. Connected your app in Refund Guard and set the Production Server URL in App Store Connect
4. Sent a test notification to verify the connection works
5. Received the test notification in the Consumption Notifications tab, confirming end-to-end functionality

Your App Store integration is now complete. Refund Guard will automatically protect your App Store revenue by responding to refund requests with accurate consumption data.

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