Before shipping your app to production, you'll want to test the complete purchase flow. Apple provides a Sandbox environment that simulates the App Store without charging real money. This section covers everything you need to make a successful test purchase.

Understanding the Sandbox Environment

The Sandbox is Apple's testing environment for in-app purchases. Key characteristics:

• No real charges — All transactions are simulated
• Accelerated renewals — Subscriptions renew faster for testing (see table below)
• Separate from production — Sandbox purchases don't affect your real App Store data
• Requires a Sandbox Apple ID — You cannot use your regular Apple ID

Sandbox Subscription Renewal Schedule

Subscriptions renew much faster in Sandbox to allow rapid testing:

1. Create a Sandbox Tester Account

You need a dedicated Sandbox Apple ID to test purchases. This is different from your regular Apple ID.

1. Go to App Store Connect.
2. Click Users and Access in the top navigation.
3. Select the Sandbox tab.
4. Click the + button to add a new tester.
5. Fill in the required information:
   • First Name / Last Name — Can be anything (e.g., "Test User")
   • Email — Must be a real email you can access, but it cannot be an existing Apple ID
   • Password — Create a password for this test account
   • Secret Question/Answer — For account recovery
   • Territory — Select a country (affects currency and pricing)
6. Click Create.

2. Configure Your Test Device

To use the Sandbox account on your iOS device:

Option A: iOS 14 and Later (Recommended)

1. Open Settings on your device.
2. Navigate to App Store.
3. Scroll down to the Sandbox Account section.
4. Tap Sign In and enter your Sandbox tester credentials.

This keeps your regular Apple ID signed in while using the Sandbox account specifically for testing purchases.

Option B: iOS 13 and Earlier

1. Open Settings > iTunes & App Store.
2. Sign out of your regular Apple ID.
3. When prompted during a purchase in your app, sign in with the Sandbox account.

3. Make a Test Purchase

With your Sandbox account configured, you can now test the complete purchase flow:

1. Build and run your app on a physical device (Sandbox doesn't work reliably on Simulator).
2. Navigate to your paywall and select a product to purchase.
3. Complete the purchase — You'll see "[Environment: Sandbox]" in the confirmation dialog.
4. Verify in RevenueCat — Check the customer's profile in your RevenueCat dashboard to confirm the purchase was recorded.

What to Test

• ✅ Initial purchase — Complete a subscription or one-time purchase
• ✅ Restore purchases — Sign out and back in, then restore
• ✅ Subscription renewal — Wait for automatic renewal (based on Sandbox timing)
• ✅ Cancellation — Cancel via Settings and verify entitlement is removed
• ✅ Upgrade/Downgrade — Switch between subscription tiers

4. Verify in RevenueCat Dashboard

After making a test purchase, verify it appears correctly in RevenueCat:

1. Go to your RevenueCat dashboard.
2. Navigate to Customers in the left sidebar.
3. Search for your test user (by App User ID or email if you've set one).
4. Verify:
   • The purchase appears in the transaction history
   • The correct entitlement is active
   • The product and offering information is accurate

5. Testing with TestFlight (Optional)

For more realistic testing with external testers, you can use TestFlight:

• Internal testers — Uses Sandbox environment automatically
• External testers — Also uses Sandbox environment
• TestFlight builds use Sandbox for purchases, never charging real money

This allows you to get feedback from beta testers without worrying about real transactions.

Common Sandbox Issues

Once you've successfully completed a test purchase and verified it in RevenueCat, you're ready to ship your app with confidence! 🚀