This section lists the recognized exceptions to the In-App Purchase requirement — physical goods and services, person-to-person services, and enterprise software have always been allowed to use other payment methods; the exceptions are specific, not a general workaround.
Comes up when a developer assumes their app qualifies for an exception, such as treating digital credits as a "physical good," when Apple doesn't view it that way.
"Your app uses a payment method other than in-app purchase for content that does not qualify for an exception under guideline 3.1.3."
Guideline 3.1.3 lists the situations where an app may take payment without using In-App Purchase. They include physical goods, services consumed outside the app, person-to-person services and certain enterprise or reader cases. The exceptions are specific and narrow. They do not form a general way around In-App Purchase for any digital product that a developer would prefer to sell differently.
The In-App Purchase requirement covers digital goods used inside the app because Apple provides the delivery and payment system for them. Real-world goods and services are different: Apple does not deliver them, and using Apple's payment system for a taxi ride or a physical product would make little sense. The exceptions in 3.1.3 describe those cases, which is why they are specific and why they cannot be stretched to digital items.
Examples include a ride, a booking or an in-person experience, where the app is a way to arrange something that happens elsewhere.
Some enterprise cases are, under defined conditions, but consumer apps are not.
It helps to state which exception applies and why.
Platform rules change often. This page is a plain-language explanation written by AppReviewFix, not official guidance. Check the current App Store Review Guidelines for the exact wording.