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Paywall Client-Side SDKOpen Paywall

Open Paywall

Learn how to programmatically open the paywall using the paywall.open() method. This allows you to trigger the paywall display at the right moment in your user flow.

Overview

The paywall.open() method displays the paywall interface to users, allowing them to:

  • Sign in to existing accounts
  • Purchase subscriptions or make payments
  • Restore previous purchases
  • View subscription options and pricing
  • Access trial offers if configured
  • Preview paywall without consuming trial attempts (v2.1.1+)

Smart Opening Logic: The paywall will only open if country targeting settings match, trial period conditions are met, and the user doesn’t have an active subscription or lifetime payment.

Basic Usage

Simple Paywall Opening

try {
  await paywall.open();
  // Paywall has status visible
  console.log('Paywall opened successfully');
} catch (error) {
  // Paywall has status invisible
  console.log('Paywall could not be opened:', error);
}

With Parameters

You can customize paywall behavior by passing parameters:

try {
  await paywall.open({
    resolveEvent: 'success-purchase'
  });
  // User completed a purchase
  console.log('User successfully purchased subscription');
} catch (error) {
  // User dismissed paywall without purchasing
  console.log('Purchase was not completed');
}

Resolve Events

Control when the paywall.open() promise resolves by specifying different events:

Resolve EventDescriptionUse Case
openedPromise resolves when the paywall opensJust need to know the paywall appeared
signed-inPromise resolves when user signed inNeed user authentication for API access
success-purchasePromise resolves when user paid or restored purchaseUnlock premium features after payment

Parameters

consumeTrialOpen

Available in v2.1.1+: This parameter requires Paywall iframe script version 2.1.1 or higher.

The consumeTrialOpen parameter controls whether opening the paywall consumes a trial attempt. By default, it’s set to true.

ValueBehaviorUse Case
true (default)Opening paywall consumes a trial attemptStandard behavior - trial is consumed when user call paywall.open()
falseOpening paywall does NOT consume a trial attemptPreview paywall to user before consuming their trial

Example: Preview Paywall Without Consuming Trial

// Show paywall to user without consuming their trial
try {
  await paywall.open({
    consumeTrialOpen: false,
    resolveEvent: 'opened'
  });
  console.log('User saw the paywall preview');
  
  // Trial is still available - user can decide to proceed
  const userWantsToProceed = await askUserConfirmation();
  
  if (userWantsToProceed) {
    // Now open with trial consumption
    await paywall.open({
      consumeTrialOpen: true,
      resolveEvent: 'success-purchase'
    });
  }
} catch (error) {
  console.log('Could not show paywall preview');
}

Practical Examples

Authentication Flow

Wait for user to sign in before allowing API access:

const authenticateUser = async () => {
  try {
    await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'signed-in' });
 
    // User is now authenticated
    console.log('User authenticated successfully');
 
    // Now you can make API requests
    makeAPIRequest();
 
  } catch (error) {
    console.log('User did not authenticate');
  }
};

Purchase Flow

Wait for successful purchase before unlocking features:

const unlockPremiumFeatures = async () => {
  try {
    await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'success-purchase' });
 
    // User completed purchase
    console.log('Purchase successful!');
 
    // Unlock premium features
    enablePremiumFeatures();
    refreshUserSubscription();
 
  } catch (error) {
    console.log('Purchase was not completed');
    showFreeFeatures();
  }
};

React Integration

Complete React component example:

import { useState } from 'react';
 
function PaywallButton() {
  const [isOpening, setIsOpening] = useState(false);
  const [userStatus, setUserStatus] = useState('guest');
 
  const handleOpenPaywall = async (resolveEvent) => {
    setIsOpening(true);
 
    try {
      await paywall.open({ resolveEvent });
 
      switch (resolveEvent) {
        case 'opened':
          console.log('Paywall opened');
          break;
        case 'signed-in':
          setUserStatus('authenticated');
          console.log('User signed in');
          break;
        case 'success-purchase':
          setUserStatus('premium');
          console.log('User purchased subscription');
          break;
      }
 
    } catch (error) {
      console.log(`Action ${resolveEvent} was not completed`);
      
      // Handle specific reasons for paywall not opening
      if (error.visibility_status_reason) {
        switch (error.visibility_status_reason) {
          case 'active-payment-found':
            setUserStatus('premium');
            console.log('User already has active subscription');
            break;
          case 'openings-trial':
          case 'time-trial':
            setUserStatus('trial');
            console.log('User is in trial period');
            break;
          case 'closed-by-user':
            console.log('User cancelled paywall');
            break;
          default:
            console.log('Paywall unavailable:', error.visibility_status_reason);
        }
      }
    } finally {
      setIsOpening(false);
    }
  };
 
  return (
    <div>
      <p>User Status: {userStatus}</p>
 
      <button
        onClick={() => handleOpenPaywall('signed-in')}
        disabled={isOpening}
      >
        {isOpening ? 'Opening...' : 'Sign In'}
      </button>
 
      <button
        onClick={() => handleOpenPaywall('success-purchase')}
        disabled={isOpening}
      >
        {isOpening ? 'Opening...' : 'Upgrade to Premium'}
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

Display Modes

Fullscreen Mode (Default)

By default, the paywall opens in fullscreen mode:

// Opens in fullscreen
await paywall.open();

Container Mode

To open the paywall within a specific container, configure the paywallContainerId in your installation script:

<script>
  window.paywall = {
    paywallContainerId: 'my-paywall-container',
    // other configuration
  };
</script>

Then create the container element in your HTML:

<div id="my-paywall-container"></div>
// This will now open within the specified container
await paywall.open();

When Paywall Won’t Open

The paywall has built-in logic to prevent unnecessary displays. When paywall.open() fails, the error object contains a visibility_status_reason property that explains exactly why the paywall couldn’t open.

Smart Prevention: The paywall automatically prevents opening when it’s not needed or appropriate. Always check error.visibility_status_reason for the specific reason.

Visibility Status Reasons

The error.visibility_status_reason property can have the following values:

  1. 'active-payment-found' - User already has an active subscription or lifetime purchase
  2. 'openings-trial' - User is in trial period (action-based trial)
  3. 'time-trial' - User is in trial period (time-based trial)
  4. 'country-not-match' - User’s location doesn’t match targeting settings
  5. 'visibility-turned-off' - Paywall visibility is disabled in settings
  6. 'closed-by-user' - User manually closed the paywall
  7. 'error' - A technical error occurred

Handling Prevention

try {
  await paywall.open();
  // Paywall opened successfully
} catch (error) {
  // Paywall was prevented from opening
  console.log('Paywall could not open:', error.visibility_status_reason);
 
  // Handle different scenarios based on reason
  switch (error.visibility_status_reason) {
    case 'active-payment-found':
      showMessage('You already have an active subscription');
      // Allow user to access premium features
      enablePremiumFeatures();
      break;
    case 'openings-trial':
    case 'time-trial':
      showMessage('You are still in trial period');
      // Allow user to use features during trial
      enableTrialFeatures();
      break;
    case 'country-not-match':
      showMessage('Paywall is not available in your region');
      // Possibly show alternative options
      showRegionalAlternatives();
      break;
    case 'visibility-turned-off':
      showMessage('Service is temporarily unavailable');
      // Allow free access when paywall is disabled
      enableFreeAccess();
      break;
    case 'closed-by-user':
      // User cancelled, no message needed
      break;
    default:
      showMessage('Unable to open paywall');
  }
}

Best Practices

1. Use Appropriate Resolve Events

// For authentication flows
await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'signed-in' });
 
// For feature unlocking
await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'success-purchase' });
 
// For simple display tracking
await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'opened' });
 
// For preview without consuming trial (v2.1.1+)
await paywall.open({ 
  resolveEvent: 'opened',
  consumeTrialOpen: false 
});

2. Provide User Feedback

const [showingPaywall, setShowingPaywall] = useState(false);
 
const openPaywall = async () => {
  setShowingPaywall(true);
  try {
    await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'success-purchase' });
    showSuccessMessage('Welcome to Premium!');
  } catch (error) {
    // User cancelled or error occurred
  } finally {
    setShowingPaywall(false);
  }
};

3. Handle All Outcomes

const requestPremiumAccess = async () => {
  try {
    await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'success-purchase' });
 
    // Success: unlock features
    unlockPremiumFeatures();
    trackEvent('subscription_purchased');
 
  } catch (error) {
    // Handle based on specific reason
    switch (error.visibility_status_reason) {
      case 'active-payment-found':
        // User already has subscription - grant access
        unlockPremiumFeatures();
        trackEvent('subscription_already_active');
        break;
      case 'openings-trial':
      case 'time-trial':
        // User is in trial - allow limited access
        unlockTrialFeatures();
        trackEvent('trial_access_granted');
        break;
      case 'closed-by-user':
        // User declined - show limited features
        showLimitedFeatures();
        trackEvent('subscription_declined');
        break;
      default:
        // Other reasons - show appropriate message
        showLimitedFeatures();
        trackEvent('paywall_unavailable', { reason: error.visibility_status_reason });
    }
  }
};

4. Smart Feature Access Control

// Helper function to determine if user should have access
const shouldAllowAccess = (error) => {
  const allowedReasons = [
    'active-payment-found',  // User has subscription
    'openings-trial',        // Trial active
    'time-trial',           // Trial active
    'visibility-turned-off'  // Paywall disabled
  ];
  
  return allowedReasons.includes(error.visibility_status_reason);
};
 
// Usage in feature gating
const accessPremiumFeature = async () => {
  try {
    await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'success-purchase' });
    // User purchased - full access
    return true;
  } catch (error) {
    // Check if we should allow access anyway
    return shouldAllowAccess(error);
  }
};

Use Cases

Feature Gating

const accessPremiumFeature = async () => {
  if (!userHasPremium()) {
    try {
      await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'success-purchase' });
      // User purchased - show premium feature
      showPremiumFeature();
    } catch (error) {
      // Check if we should allow access based on reason
      switch (error.visibility_status_reason) {
        case 'active-payment-found':
        case 'openings-trial':
        case 'time-trial':
        case 'visibility-turned-off':
          // Allow access in these cases
          showPremiumFeature();
          break;
        case 'closed-by-user':
        case 'country-not-match':
        default:
          // Don't allow access, show alternative
          showFreeAlternative();
      }
    }
  } else {
    // User already has premium
    showPremiumFeature();
  }
};

Onboarding Flow

const completeOnboarding = async () => {
  // Show app features
  await showFeatureTour();
 
  // Encourage subscription
  const wantsUpgrade = await showUpgradePrompt();
 
  if (wantsUpgrade) {
    try {
      await paywall.open({ resolveEvent: 'success-purchase' });
      showWelcomeMessage();
    } catch (error) {
      showTrialMessage();
    }
  }
};

Next Steps

Request API ProviderHandle EventsAbort Requests
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