A complete solution to LOCALLY validate an in-app receipts and bundle receipts on iOS 7

A Complete Guide to Locally Validating In-App Receipts and Bundle Receipts on iOS 7 📱💳

Are you struggling to understand how to locally validate in-app and bundle receipts on iOS 7? You're not alone! Many developers find the explanations out there to be too technical and confusing. But fear not, we're here to break it down for you in a way that even a 3-year-old could understand! 🙌

Why is it important to validate receipts locally? 🔒

Before delving into the nitty-gritty, let's quickly cover why locally validating receipts is so important. Validating receipts locally gives you an extra layer of security and protection against hackers who may try to create cracked versions of your app. It ensures that only legitimate purchases can access certain features or content within your app. Plus, Apple requires receipt validation for apps using in-app purchases. So, it's crucial to get it right! 💪

Understanding the basics of receipt validation 🔍

To begin, let's get acquainted with some key concepts:

1. Receipt: A receipt is a digital proof of purchase generated by Apple's App Store when a user makes a transaction within your app.

2. In-App Purchase Receipt: This receipt contains information about an individual in-app purchase made by a user.

3. Bundle Receipt: This receipt contains information about the initial purchase of your app, along with any subsequent in-app purchases.

Now that we have an understanding of the fundamentals, let's dive into the steps for locally validating receipts. 🏊‍♂️

Step-by-step guide to locally validate receipts 🔄

1. Obtain the receipt: Retrieve the receipt from the user's device. This can be done using the NSBundle class to access the app's main bundle.

2. Load and parse the receipt: Load the receipt file and parse its contents. The receipt is in a binary format, so you'll need to use the ASN1Decoder or a similar library to decode and extract the necessary information.

3. Validate the receipt's signature: Verify the authenticity of the receipt by validating its signature using Apple's root certificate. The SecTrustEvaluateWithError() function can be utilized for this purpose. Make sure to handle any errors that may occur during the evaluation process.

4. Extract the required information: Extract the relevant information from the receipt, such as the bundle identifier, product identifiers, purchase dates, and more. This information will be crucial for validating in-app purchases and unlocking app features or content.

5. Perform additional validation: Perform any additional validation steps you require, such as verifying the purchase against your own server or checking subscription status.

6. Handle the validation result: Based on the validation result, grant or deny access to specific features or content within your app. You can also display error messages to the user if something goes wrong during the validation process.

And voila! You've successfully locally validated in-app and bundle receipts on iOS 7. 🎉

Protecting your code against hackers 🛡️

Now, let's address your concerns about protecting your code from prying eyes. To safeguard your methods and prevent easy hacking, consider implementing the following measures:

• String obfuscation: Obfuscate any sensitive strings within your code to make it harder for hackers to understand their purpose.

• Code obfuscation: Rearrange lines of code, change loop structures, or use different approaches to accomplish the same functionality. This makes it harder for hackers to recognize patterns and reverse engineer your code.

Remember, it's essential for anyone using the code shared here to follow these precautions to ensure their app's security remains intact. 💪🔒

Conclusion and Call-to-Action 📢

Congratulations on making it through this comprehensive guide to locally validating in-app and bundle receipts on iOS 7! 😄 We hope we've demystified this complex topic and provided you with a clear understanding of the process.

Now, it's time for you to put this knowledge into action! Implement receipt validation in your app to strengthen its security and ensure that only legitimate users can access premium features or content. Don't forget to protect your code as well using obfuscation techniques.

If you found this guide helpful, share it with your fellow developers who might be struggling with the same issue. Let's spread the knowledge and make the iOS developer community stronger together! 💪🚀

Keep coding, and happy validating! 😊✨