WWDC25: What Does It Mean for Subscription App Developers

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2025 (WWDC25) is an annual event is a cornerstone for developers worldwide, offering insights into Apple's latest software updates and tools that directly impact subscription-app strategies — from UI redesigns to powerful on-device AI. Beyond the keynote, Apple released over 100 technical sessions, and we’ve combed through them to bring you the most impactful insights for subscription-first app businesses. We also asked top experts to share their reactions — their commentary is included throughout the recap to help you make sense of what’s truly game-changing.

I. Monetization & Growth

App Store Tags

Apple now uses LLMs to assign tags to apps based on descriptions, features, and screenshots. These tags improve search relevance and discovery.

Why it matters: Users discover your app via features like "habit tracker," not just broad categories. You can edit or remove tags in App Store Connect. This boosts app visibility aligned with user intent. Tags also route traffic directly to linked Custom Product Pages.“Introducing tags in the App Store will definitely evolve marketing tools — eventually, teams will be able to test everything. Tags can even direct users to specific custom product pages based on their needs or features like accessibility.” — Alexander Zimin, Co-Founder of EDA

Custom Product Page Keywords

Custom Product Pages can now target specific keywords. That means you can show tailored paywalls or messaging depending on what users search.

Why it matters: Run A/B tests on value propositions and tailor messaging based on intent. Keyword assignments are instant and per-language.“They presented separate App Store screenshots for separate keywords. So if your app is searched with different keywords, you can show different visuals — and that’s not just for search ads.” — Alexander Zimin, Co-Founder of EDA

New App Store Analytics

Over 100 new metrics, including:

MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)

Cohort-based LTV

Offer redemption and retention

Peer group benchmarks

Export capabilities for deeper analysis

Why it matters: Track monetization funnels directly inside App Store Connect. Granular, cohort-level insights reduce guesswork and empower growth strategy. Benchmarking can show weak spots in your funnel compared to similar apps.“They now show benchmark data on LTV and conversion time to paying customers across app categories. This helps you understand whether performance issues stem from product shortcomings or marketing gaps.” — Alexander Zimin, Co-Founder of EDA

Offer Codes for All IAPs

You can now generate offer codes not just for subscriptions, but for any IAP: consumables, non-consumables, and non-renewing subs. Includes sandbox support and 1M codes per quarter.

Why it matters: Expand campaigns to more monetization models. Target specific user cohorts and distribute via links, QR, or in-app input."Now offer codes can also be distributed for one-time purchases — like lives, stars, and so on — not just subscriptions. This really expands the marketing toolkit that was previously lacking.” — Suren Sarkisyan, SDK Engineer Qonversion

AdAttributionKit 2.0

Apple’s attribution toolkit adds:

Multi-campaign re-engagement tracking

Custom attribution windows

Regional postbacks

Test mode in Settings

Why it matters: Brings performance marketing transparency closer to SKAN standards, especially for retargeting and geographic ROAS analysis.

App Store Connect API Upgrades

Includes programmatic build uploads, webhook alerts (TestFlight, review status), and grouped submissions for coordinated launches.

Why it matters: Less manual work and more automation. Perfect for CI/CD pipelines and app marketing coordination.

II. Developer Productivity

Swift in VS Code & Cursor

Apple expands Swift development beyond Xcode with native support for third-party editors.

Why it matters: More flexibility in tooling. Developers can stay productive in lightweight editors without sacrificing completions or integration."Swift is now supported in VS Code and Cursor — if we can finally stop switching back to Xcode all the time, that would be pure magic.” — Egor Petrov, iOS Developer

Xcode 26: Performance & AI

Smaller (24%), faster (40%), and now supports AI agents that:

Suggest and insert code with context

Auto-generate UI tests based on interaction recording

Maintain change history for rollbacks

Annotate with @MainActor, auto-inherit Sendable, improved debugging

Why it matters: Save hours on boilerplate and debugging. Greatly improves SwiftUI workflows and test coverage. Now supports third-party models like Claude and local execution via Ollama."UI test creation is now automated: launch the app in recording mode, go through your scenario — Xcode captures all the actions and generates the test for you. This significantly streamlines QA workflows and speeds up coverage of common cases." — Suren Sarkisyan, SDK Engineer Qonversion

UI & UX Improvements

Auto-inserts missing permission descriptions

Streamlined sign-in capabilities editor

Better debugging for async and power profiling

Type-safe notifications, more robust concurrency tools

Why it matters: Removes friction for engineers and improves runtime QA."Now, if you request a permission but forget to include a description in Info.plist, Xcode will prompt you and suggest adding it automatically. It's a small touch — but a welcome one!” — Suren Sarkisyan, SDK Engineer Qonversion

SwiftUI & Localization

TextEditor supports AttributedStringSubscriptionOfferView added-

Faster List performance on macOS

Localization workflow now supports pluralization, exports for translators, and key autogeneration

Why it matters: Makes feature-rich, localized experiences easier to ship and scale."Xcode now automatically gathers string from the app to localization file, adds descriptions for each field, and exports everything in a format that’s easy to hand off to a translation studio. This significantly streamlines localization, especially for large projects.” — Suren Sarkisyan, SDK Engineer Qonversion

Refund Insights & Consumption Feedback

Apple now lets you provide context on refund requests via Server Notifications 2.0. This includes sending a "consumption request" to inform Apple whether content was delivered, how much was used, and if issues occurred.

Why it matters: Helps reduce unfair refunds by letting you share trial usage, feature access, or service issues. Especially useful for consumables — you can report percentage used. Apple also returns detailed refund decisions, including percentages refunded."Apple is trying to move refund responsibility to developers — similar to what Google already allows. It’s not so user-friendly, but it gives developers more control and potential to reduce losses.” — Sam Mejlumyan, CEO of Qonversion Qonversion’s tool Refund Keeper automates this process. It transmits usage context to Apple based on your configuration — and we’ve seen it save thousands in prevented refund losses for clients.

III. Apple Intelligence & On-Device AI

Foundation Models API

New system framework for using Apple’s on-device LLMs with:

Structured output via @Generable

Streaming results to UI

Tool-calling for app-specific actions

Why it matters: You get ChatGPT-lite capabilities inside your app with zero cloud cost. Private, fast, and integrated with Swift."Even if you give users the worst model or the best one, only 20% will notice. So Apple’s local model is good enough for most use cases, and it's available with just one line of code.” — Alexander Zimin, Co-Founder of EDA"Apple rarely rushes to copy others — they watch the market, think long-term, and integrate features only when they fit the ecosystem. It’s slower, but often more deliberate. Whether that strategy works in today’s AI race is still a big question.” — Eugene Kuznetsov, Product Lead, H&B (ex. Apple, Bumble)

Local & Hybrid Model Support

You can use Apple’s models or plug in Claude, Ollama, and others. Models can run on-device or via API.

Why it matters: Gives devs flexibility across privacy, performance, and cost dimensions.

IV. UX & Platform Design

Liquid Glass Design System

New unified visual language across iOS, macOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and more. Emphasizes depth, transparency, and responsive curves.

Why it matters: Builds app trust and quality perception. Easier to maintain cross-platform UI with SwiftUI support."It's targeted at customers who need some fresh look, but it may bring complexity for developers — even possibly users — without delivering real value.” — Alexander Zimin, Co-Founder of EDA

Icon Composer & Visual Effects

Tools for building layered, responsive icons and visual transitions that feel fluid and alive.

Why it matters: Raise perceived app quality and match system aesthetics.

V. Niche Enhancements

AlarmKit

Enables apps to trigger alarms with full screen visuals and user interaction.

Why it matters: Great for habit apps, cooking timers, mindful breaks. Think: "do 10 pushups to stop the alarm"."They added AlarmKit, and I think in September we’ll see fun apps that combine alarms with quizzes or even pay-to-stop mechanics." — Alexander Zimin, Co-Founder of EDA

WalletKit Updates

Add passes without confirmation

US-only digital ID support

Order status updates

Why it matters: Easier integration with Apple Pay and physical-world identity features."Dynamic Apple Pay buttons, automatic pass additions without extra user confirmation, and digital ID support — these updates significantly boost Wallet’s usability." — Eugene Kuznetsov, Product Lead, H&B (ex. Apple, Bumble)

Accessibility Nutrition Labels

Shows which accessibility features your app supports (e.g. VoiceOver, Larger Text).

Why it matters: Helps users make informed decisions and aligns with compliance. Labels are also searchable and improve App Store visibility for assistive use cases."If your app is one of the few that includes accessibility tags, people with those needs will find you more easily — and it can even put you in the top App Store results for those searches.” — Alexander Zimin, Co-Founder of EDA

Enhanced Age Rating System

New intermediate age tiers (9+, 13+, 16+), plus detailed content disclosures.

Why it matters: More precise targeting and easier compliance with global app store policies.

Game Center + Apple Games App

New standalone Games app and updated Game Center features (challenges, events, social discovery).

Why it matters: Game developers gain more visibility and better engagement hooks.

Bonus: WWDC AI Session Catalog

Apple quietly released a natural language Q&A catalog of all WWDC sessions. Ask it "What’s new in Xcode?" and it returns summaries and links to every relevant video. Why it matters: Cuts through the noise. Perfect for team leads or indie devs catching up.

We cover WWDC news every year. Here are the pages in case you need to dig into older updates:

What’s new with in-app purchases: WWDC 2022 overview

Vlada

Marketing Manager at Qonversion

Vlada drives marketing initiatives at Qonversion, connecting with the mobile app community.