Is there a workaround to pay for several years (stock up) with in-app annual subscription? Usually subscription services let you stock up subscriptions ahead of time. You can buy 3 annual subscriptions at the same day and have 3 years of subscription.
App Store in-app annual subscription doesn't let you to buy ahead. If you pay for 1 year, you have to wait till the end of that year to pay for the 2nd year. You can't buy the second year at the same day you bought the 1st, nor can you buy a 2nd year if there are still 4 months of the first year.
Is there a workaround to bypass that limitation?
It says at subscriptions page that I can cancel at any time and continue to use my annual subscription until it expires. If I cancel and there are 4 months of subscription left, will I be able to re-purchase annual subscription right away? Will this new subscription start after the first one or will it overwrite the 4 months that I had left?
I don’t think you get any sort of hidden features with subscriptions through Apple. Since this is a service, it’s not baked into any OS upgrade or app, it’s just logic on how the system works.
I would reach out to the developer if you need this, but I would caution you - how could Apple offer a refund for something they might not even be able to deliver in 3 years. If the developer offers a side registration process - they an do whatever they please, but Apple has been pretty set on the terms for a while - so anything could change, but I would expect them to be selling annual passes at the longest term for as long as they’re on the hook to provide refunds when a purchase has issues.
I think you have a very good grasp - there’s no hidden workarounds here - it’s like asking a bank to change how they grant interest on certificates of deposit. It’s a pretty standard transaction from a mechanism what happens at the start and end - you’re just wanting them to change the term for you and a specific developer.