How can I make my iOS app "Sold Out"?

Solution 1:

I want it to be "Sold out" for the next month while still having the ability to release updates.

There is no such provision available on the App Store, hosting the app while users can’t purchase/install it. Most likely explanation would be that it interferes with the overall UX and has the potential of causing confusion.

I am considering changing the price of the app to the max tier and writing "Sold out, restocking on xx.xx.xxxx" in the promotional text.

Hiking the price temporarily would not be an advisable approach. It will likely bring negative publicity to the app. This approach (especially with regard to the promotional text) could also cause the app update to get rejected.

If you would like to control when the app update gets released on the App Store, you can choose to manually release instead of automatically release when approved when submitting the app update.

• Manually release a version - App Store Connect Help

Solution 2:

Since you won't say why you want to do this, I must assume you are running a cloud service that has reached its capacity. Congratulations on your newfound popularity!

While you work on improving your backend, I recommend that you write some logic into your app that will show the user a friendly specialized screen whenever your servers are at- or over-capacity, letting them know that they did nothing wrong and your service will be back soon. This way, they already have the app installed and can instantly start using it when you eventually get the problem solved.

This is better than saying "Sold Out" or "Out of Stock" on the App Store page. What does that imply? Does it mean that there was only ever a limited number, so no one else will ever get any? Does it mean the potential user should check back later? What if they forget to check back once you're back up and running?