Paid apps and games go on sale all the time — a $9.99 app can drop to $1.99 for a weekend, and premium games regularly go half price. Apple never tells you when a price changes, so unless you browse the store daily, those deals pass you by. The fix: set up price tracking once and let the alerts come to you. Here are two reliable methods for iPhone.
Method 1: Get automatic alerts with IFTTT
The truly hands-off option is IFTTT, a free automation service. Activate a ready-made applet once, and it watches the price for you, sending a notification or email the moment it drops.
- Install the free IFTTT app from the App Store and create a free account.
- In the applet library, search for an App Store price-drop applet — one that sends a notification or email for a specific app.
- Connect the App Store channel when the applet asks for permission.
- Choose your alert: a push notification on your iPhone or an email.
- Tell the applet which app to watch. Instead of typing the app’s name, paste the app’s full App Store link into the applet field — copy it from the app’s App Store page with the Share button. Links are matched exactly; names often are not.
- Switch the applet on. You’ll get pinged whenever that app goes on sale.
Method 2: Do a quick daily check with Shortcuts
If you’d rather not use a third-party service, the built-in Shortcuts app can do the checking for you — it takes about thirty seconds a day.
- Open the Shortcuts app (it ships with iOS; if you deleted it, download it again from the App Store).
- Add a community-made App Store price-tracking shortcut from the Shortcuts gallery to your library.
- Open the shortcut for editing and use its “Add app” section to register each app or game you want to watch, pasting each one’s App Store link so it tracks exactly the right listing.
- Once a day, run the shortcut’s “Check current prices” action. It compares the live price against the price recorded when you added the app and flags anything cheaper. Add it to a widget or set a daily reminder so you remember.
- Bought the app? Open the shortcut and disable tracking for that entry, so it stops alerting you about something you already own.
Choose the right apps to watch
Not every app is worth tracking. Paid productivity apps, premium games, and one-time-purchase utilities go on sale most often — start there; free apps rarely change price. Before buying anything, audit what you already own: check which built-in iPhone apps you can delete to clear out the ones you never use, and if you also own a Mac, learn how to open your installed apps list on macOS 26 so you don’t rebuy something you already have. AppAdvice and 9to5Mac also post the biggest sales, and Apple’s App Store support docs cover purchases and refunds.
If it still doesn’t work
No alerts? In iPhone Settings, open the IFTTT entry and confirm notifications are allowed and Background App Refresh is on. Tracking the wrong app? Replace the typed name with the exact App Store link. Shortcut failing after an iOS update? Re-add it from the gallery and register your apps again. And note that IFTTT occasionally pauses applets after long inactivity — open the app and make sure yours is still switched on.
Frequently asked questions
Is price tracking free?
Yes, for the basics. IFTTT’s free tier covers a handful of applets, which is plenty for watching a few apps, and the Shortcuts method costs nothing at all since it’s built into iOS.
Why didn’t I get notified about a sale I saw in the App Store?
Almost always a matching problem: the applet was watching a different listing than the one that went on sale. Repoint it with the app’s exact App Store link and confirm IFTTT notifications are on.
The bottom line
Use IFTTT if you want alerts without lifting a finger, or Shortcuts if you prefer a quick daily check. Either way, you’ll stop paying full price for apps that go on sale every other week.
