an app where you login to something other than Game Center and purchases are already available on a new device without having to restore is not something that fits in with Apple's pre-existing models of how an app needs to work. All this despite the existence of some other apps like Hearthstone that act the same way.
Translation of Apple's response: "We think we can get you to charge your customers again in order to give us a cut of the revenue. Your app isn't a system-seller like Hearthstone, so if you don't like it you can f*** off."
...except that isn't how it works. It's not just Hearthstone. For example, I have the Audible app (for audiobooks), and I can log in with my account in the app and listen to books that I purchased on the Audible website, and as far as I know, Apple gets 0% of that.
What _does_ exist is that if you sell something _in the app itself_, Apple requires a cut of that, so maybe MF ran afoul of that rule. Audible stopped selling audiobooks from within the app itself for this reason.
Alternatively, the app store reviewing process is notoriously inconsistent, so it could just be the particular app reviewer they drew got confused.
Audible is a system seller though. That app probably nudges a lot of middle aged Kindle + flip phone users over to iPhone. I don't see how Audible debunks this particular "conspiracy theory". On the other hand it's plausible the online Dominion app genuinely fails to sell a single iPhone.
This sent me down a hole trying to figure out what is/isn't allowed and I only came away more confused.
One bit of info is that there are definitely some situations where expansions _can't_ be transferred:
http://www.daysofwonder.com/en/contact/walled-gardens/?tab=digitalThe Google Play Store, as well as the Apple App Store and the Amazon Store are "walled gardens". This means that their business terms specifically forbid us from granting an app or an expansion ("DLC", "IAP" items...) based on a purchase made on another store.
Interesting that this also applies to the Google Play Store and Amazon Store, so werothegreat's troll post above is incorrect when he claims there's no restriction on Android.
Looking at the app store guidelines themselves, audiobooks are one type of content which is specifically exempted from some rules, so my example of Audible was irrelevant:
https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#purchasing-currenciesApps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video and cloud storage) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the App, as long as there is no button or external link in the App to purchase the approved content.
But then on the other hand, Hearthstone is not the only CCG which shares purchased cards across platforms. Solforge also works this way, although I could only find a statement implying it:
https://solforgegame.com/forum/general-discussion/solforge-early-access-with-existing-account-question/Once Booster Packs go live, you should get a code for 20 Booster Packs (Early Access deal on Steam). You link that code to your SolForge account and you will be able to play with the cards in those Booster Packs on both iPad and PC.
Problem is, I can't figure out _why_ CCGs like Hearthstone and Solforge can allow card purchases to be used on every platform, while Days of Wonder apparently can't do the same with expansion purchases. My only guess is that for the cases that are allowed, you're really just using a client to connect to an online service. It's not like you're transferring purchases, because they were never stored locally anyway. For DoW, which expansions you've bought _is_ local data of the app, so that might be why it falls into a different category.