Introducing Payment Links: A New Way to Accept Payments In-Game

With the recent U.S. court ruling against Apple, the gates are finally opening for more flexible monetization. For the first time, iOS game publishers can direct players to external websites to complete purchases - without being blocked by platform restrictions.

‍

At Appcharge, we’ve been preparing for this moment. Payment Links, our solution for redirecting iOS players to a secure, branded checkout page, empowers studios to monetize outside the App Store and seize this monumental opportunity.

Why This Matters

This ruling is a turning point for the industry. But to take advantage of it, you need infrastructure that’s compliant, customizable, and built for scale.

Payment Links are a fast, secure way to experiment with direct payments on iOS - while Appcharge handles the complexity behind the scenes. From tax and fraud to localized pricing and post-payment redirects, we do the heavy lifting so your team can stay focused on player experience.

How It Works

Integration can be done in just a few hours, using one line of code. Once integrated, the flow is simple for both you and your players.

Step 1: Trigger a Checkout Session

When a player selects an offer in your game, your backend sends a request to Appcharge’s Create Checkout Session API. This includes:

‍

• Offer details (name, ID, image)
  
  
• Pricing (localized or fixed)
  
  

You’ll instantly get back:

‍

• A secure checkout URL
  
  
• A session token for validation
  
  
• A purchase ID for tracking

‍

Step 2: Redirect the Player

Use the checkout URL to redirect the player from your game to a hosted Appcharge payment page. It’s fast, mobile-optimized, and fully branded.

Step 3: Player Completes Payment With One Click

Returning players (and players who previously purchased on your web store) will find that their payment preferences are already saved - removing friction and maximizing conversion rates. 

‍

First time buyers choose their preferred method - credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal, or local options depending on region. Upon confirming the purchase, Appcharge processes the transaction securely in the background.

Step 4: Redirect + Fulfill

Once payment is complete, the player is automatically redirected to a URL of your choosing - typically, back into your game. Your server verifies the purchase with Appcharge, and the items are granted.

Built for Your Stack

A/B test layouts to boost conversion

Want to test a minimalistic screen vs. a fully branded one? With Appcharge, you can experiment with different checkout formats and flows to optimize performance by region, offer type, or user segment.

‍

‍

Customize your checkout

Use the Appcharge dashboard to tailor your checkout page and receipts. Edit branding, UI elements, and payment options per region - no engineering work required.

‍

Track like you always have

Using an MMP like AppsFlyer? Payment Links preserve your tracking flow. Appcharge shares the relevant purchase data with your server, so you can forward it to your MMP SDK and keep your LTV and ROI metrics intact.

Global-ready, out of the box

As your Merchant of Record, in addition to processing your payments Appcharge handles:

‍

• Tax calculation and compliance
  
  
• Fraud prevention
  
  
• Currency localization
  
  
• Chargebacks and reporting

‍

You focus on growing your game, while we handle all the heavy lifting for your payments operations. 

What’s Next

The monetization landscape is shifting -  fast. As new legislation and court rulings open the door to external payments on iOS, now’s the time to act.

‍

Appcharge Payment Links give you a fast, compliant path to start testing and scaling direct payments - backed by the infrastructure and expertise to do it right.

‍

We’re actively building for what comes next: helping studios move faster, go deeper with their players, and reduce reliance on gatekeepers. Because this isn’t just a new tool - it’s part of a broader movement toward platform independence and long-term revenue control that we’ve been building for over the last two years.

‍

Let's make the most of this historic moment!