Apple might soon allow promotional codes for in-app purchases

Apple’s App Store is a crowded market for games, and even gaming giants like EA have a tough time getting noticed. For years, developers have dropped the prices of their apps in the hopes of getting them onto more devices, but on Thursday, EA started testing a new type of promotional giveaway: It’s giving out special iOS codes for “Real Racing 3″ that give players a little bit of the game’s in-app currency. 

As part of the batch of updates on Thursday it was revealed that Apple may soon offer developers the ability to send out promotional codes for in-app purchases, a change from previous App Store policy. Discovered by Jeff Scott of 148Apps.com, Electronic Arts is giving customers who purchase Real Racing 3 free in-app currency worth $1.99. Scott took the above screenshot showing the promotion and subsequently posted it to Twitter. It is unclear if Apple plans to roll out the promo code feature in the near future or is merely testing compatibility with a popular App Store title. The company has yet to make an official announcement to developers, however.