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Apple announced a pilot program<\/a> called \u201ccontingent pricing for subscriptions\u201d yesterday that will let App Store developers automatically offer discounted subscriptions for users of other apps. Developers, the company says, will be able to base this on subscriptions \u201cfrom one developer or two different developers,\u201d which lets them not only to entice customers they already have to their other apps, but also compete by offering deals to their competitors\u2019 subscribers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There\u2019s a slight catch here: According to 9to5Mac<\/em><\/a>, the discount is only good while the customer\u2019s other subscription is active. So if someone tries an app because it offered a deal and decides to cancel the other subscription, they\u2019ll go back to the normal price. Apple also reportedly told developers that these discounts can be used in App Store advertising and marketing outside of it, in addition to within the app itself. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n It could be a while before the benefits of the program are visible out in the wild, as Apple says it is bringing developers on board over the \u201ccoming months.\u201d It\u2019ll be interesting to see how it affects subscriptions on the platform as developers start competing with this new tool.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On its face, the feature sounds like a win for developers, at least as long as it doesn\u2019t only benefit bigger developers who can afford to offer such deals. Growing the App Store\u2019s appeal is something Apple will continue to need to do as regulatory pressure on its digital store\u2019s supremacy mounts. Although the company emerged mostly unscathed<\/a> by its antitrust fight with Epic, the Fortnite<\/em> maker just notched a stunning win against Google<\/a>, which could embolden future challenges to iOS App Store lock-in. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n