T&Cs changelog - forcing users to agree

Question

If there is a legal requirement to broadcast changes (and force acknowledgement) of updated T&Cs/EULA, how best should this be handled?

Sure users will be notified if they HAVE to download the latest version of the app, but this won't explicitly determine whether or not a user has acknowledged the updated terms. I also don't think there's any way to communicate WHY they're being forced to download the latest app.

My question is basically to understand if I need to develop an in-app messaging service to broadcast messages of this nature. Eg "The T&Cs have been updated. Please review the latest version here" and store which version the user has agreed to in the user table.

...Or is there a better (Apple way) of doing this?

Answer 1

You could try to store the T&C out of the App, and store a boolean (acting like a trigger) in your App.

When this case occurs, push the value of the boolean on True (via WebServices) to all the devices using the app (and of course update T&Cs on your database).

On launch, the App check if the boolean is on True. If yes, the App request the new T&Cs via our webservices and displays immediately a modal view requiring user to agree with them. When T&Cs are accepted, the App set back the boolean on False.

By this way, there is no need to download a new version of the App, and no way to avoid acknowledgement of T&Cs.