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iOS Does App Store reviewers take price of app into consideration?

H

HannKett

macrumors member
Original poster
Hello folks, not sure this thread fits here however it is semi-related.

I just put my app on the app store with the highest possible price tag of $999 USD.

Now my question is if the app store reviewers take price into consideration when they approve the app? (it is a app with functionality).

thanks
 
That early one about being rich was. I think its a minor consideration though. As long as you're not selling crap or just making a point then you'll be fine. If you have absolutely nothing to justify your price point (say a $999 fart app) then you might have problems.
 
Greencardman said:
That early one about being rich was. I think its a minor consideration though. As long as you're not selling crap or just making a point then you'll be fine. If you have absolutely nothing to justify your price point (say a $999 fart app) then you might have problems.
Click to expand...

This is the part I am worried about, why do you have to justify the price of your app?

I think it is worth 999 and the customers obviously will think so if they buy it.

And that "I am rich" app got pulled because it was a non-function app, it only displayed an image of art.

So let's take an example to clarify.

let's say I work as an salesman. I have an hourly wage of $1000, I make my own app, a calculator with some self made graphics and art. I think because I make 1K an hour and it took me an hour to make it, that my app is worth 1K.

Edit: don't mean to sound aggressive, just bad english 🙂
 
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There are no guarantees on getting approval. Ever. For anything.

You can get repeated rejections. For anything.
 
Apple has stated that a higher price will lead to higher scrutiny in their review of your app.

Without knowing anything about your app, I would guess Apple would reject it, as to the best of my knowledge, the most expensive app currently on the store is only $899 and it allows one to control multiple security cameras from a single iOS device. Kind of amazing. Highly specialized. Invaluable to those who need it. Thus a high price is justified.

If you can't justify a price tag of $999, then I would wager that Apple will reject it.

Edit:
but you get a reason right?
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Are you familiar with the government term of "pocket veto"? Apple doesn't have to reject your app for it not to appear on the app store. They just have to not approve it. Apple could just give you the silent treatment and never review your app. Or they could give it a status of "In Review" and then never actually tell you anything.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
Apple has stated that a higher price will lead to higher scrutiny in their review of your app.

Without knowing anything about your app, I would guess Apple would reject it, as to the best of my knowledge, the most expensive app currently on the store is only $899 and it allows one to control multiple security cameras from a single iOS device. Kind of amazing. Highly specialized. Invaluable to those who need it. Thus a high price is justified.

If you can't justify a price tag of $999, then I would wager that Apple will reject it.

Edit:


Are you familiar with the government term of "pocket veto"? Apple doesn't have to reject your app for it not to appear on the app store. They just have to not approve it. Apple could just give you the silent treatment and never review your app. Or they could give it a status of "In Review" and then never actually tell you anything.
Click to expand...

Ouch! That does not sound good.. I have a couple of apps "waiting for review" since 5 days already. This one I added today and as it sounds they will most probably not accept it.

I think it sucks that they get involved in the price decision making. But what can you do.

Will let you guys know how this works out for me.
 
HannKett, you said you have already submitted your app, so now you are in the waiting game. Usually apps take less than a week to get through the review process. If your app has some unique functionality that high end buyers appreciate, then I don't see a problem for the price point, and I can't think why Apple would care. After all, that $999 price point exists for reason.

There are various stories floating around the web with approval process issues. You should simply take those as a warning and be patient for the response.

I think your big challenge will be marketing such an expensive app.
 
Sometimes you get a reason, sometimes you don't. If it gets rejected, just try lowering the price or increasing the functionality. Is there a good reason why you're pricing your app so high? If its just because you want to, then you might get rejected.
 
Greencardman said:
Sometimes you get a reason, sometimes you don't. If it gets rejected, just try lowering the price or increasing the functionality. Is there a good reason why you're pricing your app so high? If its just because you want to, then you might get rejected.
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It is still in review, have had another app accepted though 😀 my first ever on the mighty app store.

I priced it that high because some of the functionality (a joke) is tied to the high price, this is nothing for the common lowly people 😉
 
HannKett said:
It is still in review, have had another app accepted though 😀 my first ever on the mighty app store.

I priced it that high because some of the functionality (a joke) is tied to the high price, this is nothing for the common lowly people 😉
Click to expand...

I can't imagine Apple letting it get through. If it does slip through and make it on the app store, my guess is your sales will be $0.00.
 
firstapple said:
I can't imagine Apple letting it get through. If it does slip through and make it on the app store, my guess is your sales will be $0.00.
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Maybe he'll sell a few copies to the people who won the "Help us reach X downloads!" contests and thus have gift cards worth $10K only good on the app store.

I suppose that kind of prize only stands to help developers... We'll get paid in real money if any of the winners buy our apps, whereas of the winner can't do anything else with the gift card.
 
HannKett said:
let's say I work as an salesman. I have an hourly wage of $1000, I make my own app, a calculator with some self made graphics and art. I think because I make 1K an hour and it took me an hour to make it, that my app is worth 1K.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if this logic can apply to the pricing of applications...If this were the case, then companies like Electronic Arts would price their applications in the millions. Do you really believe that their 10+ team of developers working for hours collectively only make $2.99?

Not to mention this reason doesn't actually make sense. Why would your current job which has nothing to do with iOS development, have any affect on this job? It's like saying if I was a salesman making 1K an hour and I took a second job bagging groceries in a department store, I should make 1K an hour.

Sorry if I sound mean, I'm just very confused :O. Maybe you mean something else 🙂.
 
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kayloh20 said:
I'm not sure if this logic can apply to the pricing of applications...If this were the case, then companies like Electronic Arts would price their applications in the millions. Do you really believe that their 10+ team of developers working for hours collectively only make $2.99?

Not to mention this reason doesn't actually make sense. Why would your current job which has nothing to do with iOS development, have any affect on this job? It's like saying if I was a salesman making 1K an hour and I took a second job bagging groceries in a department store, I should make 1K an hour.

Sorry if I sound mean, I'm just very confused :O. Maybe you mean something else 🙂.
Click to expand...

His reasoning almost made sense. Here's what he did wrong:

He assumed that income=price, when really,
income=price*sales*0.7

Thus, if your time is worth $1K an hour, your price should be such that price*sales*0.7=$1K. A little hint, with a price of $1K, your sales are almost certain to be zero.

How valuable your consumer consider your app needs to also be considered. Can a business save $1K on how much they have to pay an employee if they purchase a single copy of your app? Then it may well be worth it to them to buy your incredibly expensive app.

With people, it's a little more difficult to find the right price. People don't think anywhere near as logically as businesses do. They're hesitant to pay $0.99 for an amazing app, but won't think twice about paying $3 for a coffee that the employee may have put the wrong ingredients in.

(Whenever I think about that fact, I wonder why I bother with app development rather than just setting up a coffee stand on the side of the road. I suppose the reason why is because I'm in it to have fun and make apps that I like... if I happen to make apps that other people like and pay money for, well, that's great.)
 
HannKett said:
let's say I work as an salesman. I have an hourly wage of $1000, I make my own app, a calculator with some self made graphics and art. I think because I make 1K an hour and it took me an hour to make it, that my app is worth 1K.
Click to expand...

The "worth" you place on a product has nothing to do with the price at which the product will actually sell.

A developer can easily put $45K into an app's development, only to find out that it will sell very few copies, and only when priced near or at $0.99.

ArtOfWarfare said:
Apple has stated that a higher price will lead to higher scrutiny in their review of your app.
Click to expand...

But there is little to prevent a developer from raising the tier/price of their app after it is approved. Check on app shopper. Lots of price juggling occurs. Sometimes even between free and a bit pricey.
 
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