Credits rules for agents

Use this while you build a credits or limits system, not after. Part 1 is what the stores and regulators require on the screen. Part 2 is the states a user needs that a plain "add credits" build usually skips. Part 3 is the check to run before you finish.

Sources: Apple's App Review Guidelines (3.1.1, 3.1.2, 5.6), Apple's expiring consumables program, Apple's HIG on in-app purchase, Google Play's Payments policy, and the EU consumer network's principles on virtual currencies (games guidance, March 2025; enforced against 10 games companies on September 30, 2026). Rules dated November 8, 2026. These are design rules with a source, not legal advice.

Before you start

• Do purchased credits expire? On iOS they may not, unless the app joins Apple's expiring-consumables program for generative AI (C2). If the user hasn't said, build credits that never expire and say why in one line.
• Where does the balance live? Keep it on your server, tied to the user's account, before the first purchase. The stores don't restore consumables (C6), so a device-only balance is lost on a new phone.
• Does a subscription include credits? Then there are at least two buckets (plan and purchased) and the spend order is part of the screen (C3).

1. Must have (store and regulator rules)