A mobile app EULA has to work inside two different platform rulebooks at once, not just the general licensing ground a EULA usually covers. Apple gives you a default agreement that applies automatically unless you replace it, and if you replace it, Apple requires the replacement to include a specific set of minimum terms. Google Play has no equivalent default agreement for end users, so whatever terms you publish are the only thing standing between your app and the installer. Add subscription and in-app purchase license language, which both stores review directly, and a EULA written for a website or a desktop install misses most of what matters for an app distributed through a store.
Apple’s Standard EULA vs. a Custom EULA in App Store Connect
If you never touch the License Agreement field in App Store Connect, Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement applies by default. It’s a real, binding agreement, part of Schedule 1 to the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, covering the basics: a limited, non-transferable license to use the app on Apple-branded products the user owns or controls, a ban on reverse engineering, and a statement that the app is licensed, not sold. For a simple app with no unusual data practices and no jurisdiction-specific terms you need, the Standard EULA is often genuinely enough.
A custom EULA is the better choice once you need something the standard version doesn’t cover: a specific governing law and venue, subscription auto-renewal terms in your own words, arbitration or class-action-waiver clauses, or license terms that reference your own privacy practices by name. Add one either account-wide, under App Store Connect’s Agreements, Tax, and Banking settings, or per app under App Information’s License Agreement field, which takes pasted text or a URL. Per-app scope is the right call once you have more than one app with different licensing needs, since the account-wide default otherwise applies to your whole portfolio.
The Minimum Terms Apple Requires If You Go Custom
Replacing the Standard EULA doesn’t mean starting from a blank page. Apple’s developer agreement requires any custom EULA to include a specific set of minimum terms, and App Review checks for them: that the agreement is between the end user and you, not Apple; that the license is limited to Apple-branded hardware the user owns or controls, per Apple’s Usage Rules; that you, not Apple, are solely responsible for maintenance, support, and any required product warranty; that you’re solely responsible for claims relating to the app, including product liability or intellectual property infringement; and that Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of the agreement, entitled to enforce it directly. Miss the third-party-beneficiary clause or the maintenance-and-support disclaimer, and it’s a common reason a custom EULA gets flagged during review.
| Apple Standard EULA | Custom EULA | |
|---|---|---|
| Applies when | No License Agreement field filled in | URL or text entered in App Store Connect |
| Governing law | Apple’s default terms | Your choice, must be stated |
| Subscription/auto-renewal language | Generic, Apple’s own wording | Must be written in yourself |
| Minimum terms required | Already compliant | Must include Apple’s required clauses |
| Good fit for | Simple apps, no special terms needed | Apps with subscriptions, arbitration clauses, or specific jurisdictions |
Google Play’s Distribution Terms and Where Your EULA Fits
Google Play works differently. The Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement is a contract between you and Google governing how you distribute through the store, not a default license between you and the person installing your app, and there’s no Google equivalent of Apple’s Standard EULA covering end users automatically. If you want a binding license agreement with installers, you have to write and publish one yourself, then link it from Play Console under Store settings in the App content section, alongside your privacy policy URL. Skip that step and the only agreement covering an install is Google Play’s own store policies, which say nothing about your license grant, restrictions on reverse engineering, or ownership of your app’s code. Whatever terms you publish also have to comply with Play’s Developer Program Policies, so a EULA conflicting with Play’s own rules on data disclosure or subscription presentation can hold up a release.
License Language for In-App Purchases and Subscriptions
Both stores expect an in-app purchase to be described as a license to content or functionality, not a sale of goods, and both check that your EULA’s language matches your purchase flow. For consumable or non-consumable purchases (extra lives, a one-time unlock, a digital item), state plainly that the purchase grants a limited, revocable license to use that content within the app, not ownership of anything, and that it’s non-transferable between accounts or devices.
Auto-renewing subscriptions carry a stricter requirement on Apple’s side: the purchase screen and your EULA both need to state the subscription’s title, length, and price, that it renews automatically unless canceled, and how to cancel, before the purchase is confirmed. Google Play requires similar clarity in its own purchase flow. Both platforms handle billing and refunds through their own payment systems, so your EULA should say purchases are subject to each store’s own refund and payment terms rather than promise a policy you don’t control.
Publish It Where Both Stores and Your Users Expect It
A custom EULA does nothing if it only exists as a document on file. On Apple’s side, it goes into App Store Connect’s License Agreement field, as pasted text or a URL. On Google Play, the link goes into Play Console’s App content settings. Link the same document from inside the app itself too, typically a Settings or About screen, so one document governs the relationship regardless of which store a given install came through.
Our EULA Generator builds a license agreement scoped to a mobile app, including Apple’s required minimum terms when you choose a custom EULA and in-app purchase or subscription license language matched to what your app sells, ready to paste or link into both App Store Connect and Google Play Console without tracking two rulebooks by hand.
The information in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any matter, and does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
