Clearing purchases from iOS in-app purchase sandbox for a test user

Question

IMO there are 3 things you can do to make testing non-consumables bearable:

1. You can have many test accounts associated to one email. Gmail for example lets you add a "plus" string to the email to create aliases for an address: so [email protected] and [email protected] both really just go to [email protected]. Probably other email hosts do the same. When you create a test account you need to introduce: first name, last name, email address, password, secret question, secret answer, date of birth, and iTunes store country. You can put exactly the same data (including password) for [email protected] and [email protected] and you will have two test accounts. Finally, in your [email protected] inbox you will receive two verification emails from Apple to confirm both test accounts.

2. Say that you have a non-consumable with product ID @"Extra_Levels". Instead of writing @"Extra_Levels" in all methods (requestProduct, purchaseProduct, ...), just write PRODUCT_ID1 and at some header file put #define PRODUCT_ID1 @"Extra_Levels" (with no semicolon!), then the preprocessor will search PRODUCT_ID1 and substitute it for @"Extra_Levels". Then creating a new non-consumable called @"Extra_Levels_01" and changing the #define will be as good as resetting the purchases for all your test users.

3. As appsmatics pointed out, you can test the correct behavior of your code when you buy a non-consumable IAP by first using a consumable IAP (so that test user can make as many purchases as needed) to get rid of some bugs. Of course, you should also test the code with the real non-consumable IAP after that.

You can't do this, as far as I know. The sandbox backend works like a real account-- once it's purchased, it's purchased (and thus you can test restore). You should do most of your development with the store stuff shimmed out, and then when you get to testing it for real, just expect to create several test accounts.

I have 2 in app purchase items. 1 for production. and the other for testing. when I need to "clear" I delete the in app item and create new one (15 seconds in itunes connect and 1 second to change the product id in code)

if i dont need to test "new user", i use the production in app item.

Well, technically you don't need that.

If you get SKPaymentTransactionStateRestored, it is 100% equivalent to the app store verifying the user and granting him the purchase. I have a switch like:

- (void)paymentQueue:(SKPaymentQueue *)queue updatedTransactions:(NSArray *)transactions
{
  for( SKPaymentTransaction *purch in transactions )
  {
    switch( purch.transactionState )
    {
      case SKPaymentTransactionStateRestored:
        info( "PURCHASE RESTORE" ) ;
        // fall thru
      case SKPaymentTransactionStatePurchased:
        [[SKPaymentQueue defaultQueue] finishTransaction:purch];
        // Do regular changes to app state for this purchase,
        // register in keychain, etc.
        break ;

       //.. other cases
     }
  }
}

The question of having your app logic / take back the purchase is simple: if you're caching purchases in keychain, delete your keychain. If you're doing it some other how, just change your local app state to pretend like the user never purchased it before. The request to purchase dialog is still exactly the same, the only difference is when you punch YES, it gives you SKPaymentTransactionStateRestored instead of SKPaymentTransactionStatePurchased.

Deleting your app and reinstalling works also for sandbox testing. Depends on the app obviously, but I'm testing a subscription based app that only purchases during sign up at the moment so it's been the easiest solution.