Apple Now Letting Developers Automatically Charge for Some Subscription Price Increases

[mutumguda]

I preferred to have a clear, unambiguous screen telling me that there was a price increase, with a nice little button saying "do you still want this app at the new increased price?".
I think this is a clearer approach.

 

[verdi1987]

“…doesn’t exceed US$5 and 50% of the subscription price, or US$50 and 50% for an annual subscription price…”

Can someone clarify this? Does it mean that apps can increase the subscription price no more than 50%, up to $5/month or $50/year?

 

[SFjohn]

Pretty clever apple. I guess many were stopping their subs when prompted with an action. Now you should be able to fool more customers. Tim has to eat you know.

Tim has to feed his shareholders, and they are hungry bastards.

 

[_Spinn_]

I'm not a fan of this.

 

[Boris Bronson]

This also paves the way for Apple to increase the prices of their own subs.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I preferred to have a clear, unambiguous screen telling me that there was a price increase, with a nice little button saying "do you still want this app at the new increased price?".
I think this is a clearer approach.

Your idea is indeed much clearer.

But Apple aren't going for "clearer" -- they are going for "increased revenue with less cancellations or expirations".

Despite what Apple claims, nothing about this is "better for users".

The gall of their actions is becoming increasingly breathtaking.

They weren't lying about Services, Services and more Services revenue

 

[calmelb]

I'm not liking the sound of this ... the few subscriptions I do have are not thru the App Store, and I guess I will keep it that way

So the exact same stuff can happen except there’s no limit?

 

[Scoob Redux]

Apple says that "under specific conditions and with advance user notice" developers can offer an auto-renewable subscription price increase without the user needing to take action ...

"Advance user notice" means a tiny line of print deep in the user agreement that you clicked "Accept" on many months or years ago (and without reading it).

 

[Octavius8]

Cementing itself in a lost battle agaists 3rd party stores but still winning the developers with these anti-user practices.
No subscritions for me with Apple. How about Apple own services?, can they also be increased unilaterally?

 

[pierce1979]

Yuck. Come on apple!

 

[HeinMeling]

A pricing increase cannot occur more than once per year, and it cannot exceed $5 and 50 percent of the subscription price, or $50 and 50 percent for an annual subscription price.

Since when is a 50 percent price increase okay?, and possibly without any app improvements… and customers may not even want the new features… This is not good news for subscribers… I liked the fact that Apple took the opt-in approach previously.

Price increase higher that the inflation rate should be opt-in.

 

[unregbaron]

‘Great for consumers’ - nice try Apple. This is bad news and a disappointing decline from Apple standards.

 

[contacos]

Apple has never really been pro-customer when it comes to the AppStore. They are literally the only service provider that I ever came across in my 25 years of using the internet, which terminates a trial immediately upon cancellation. Everyone else still lets you use the service until the trial period is over.

 

[cyanite]

I'm not liking the sound of this ... the few subscriptions I do have are not thru the App Store, and I guess I will keep it that way

Then you’re just even worse off, or the same. These off-store subscriptions don't force you to agree in order to continue.

Oh gosh, so if I turn off the push notifications for an app due to relentless spamming (for example, I don't like notifications about Prime or Netlflix releases when I'm not in their apps, so I just turned them off), now I will automatically be hit with a price increase if the developer feels like it?

No. You’ll get an email and a message in the app.

Good luck dealing with regulators… some countries’ regulators will have field day with this change.

It‘s pretty much how it is with all other subscriptions. Take some personal responsibility.

"Advance user notice" means a tiny line of print deep in the user agreement that you clicked "Accept" on many months or years ago (and without reading it).

No it doesn’t.

 

[123]

Why the pop-up window was considered a bad thing?

Because people canceled subscriptions. The new notification scheme makes it easy to miss, and harder to cancel, thus: profit, the only thing Apple cares about.

 

[JCCL]

Because people canceled subscriptions. The new notification scheme makes it easy to miss, and harder to cancel, thus: profit, the only thing Apple cares about.

Which was the intended outcome. Like you said, Apple is more blatantly than ever about profit.

And by the way, it amazes me how some consumer like a poster above defends this even stating “take personal responsibility”. Apple is just hoping customer will miss the notification or e-mail. The functionality is already there, they are just choosing to make it less obvious hoping customers will miss it. And some customers defend this? Wow

 

[User 6502]

This is really really really bad and means I will avoid subscriptions all altogether. Also a 50% increase is considered normal and not worth of an opt out system? Greedy apple, very greedy. Can’t wait for the EU to bash them so hard they’ll have to agree to side loading.

 

[grovian]

So basically other large, subscription based corporations like Netflix told them: "Do this change and we'll both make more money and Apple was like: yes, we only care about the money, rest is marketing".

 

[Da_Hood]

Trolling EU regulators, love it.

 

[necrosexy]

Shady as hell.
This is simply bad customer service.

 

[hagar]

Apple expects you to be busy when they send the alert so it slips your mind and you implicitly go along with the price hike.

No thank you. My solution is simple. No subscription for any app. I rather pay up front so I know what I buy.

And no in-app purchases either, unless they’re clearly displayed in the App Store listing (something 99% of devs don’t do). Apple should make that mandatory.

 

[laptech]

In Europe it used to be 'opt in' if a subscription service changed it's prices and for many other different types of services too. Now it has predominatly changed to an 'opt out' system where the consumer only has to be 'informed' of changes and it is upto them to make the actually change which is either to leave things as they are and the changes will happen automatically or to login into your accout and refuse to accept the change or to ring up the company and tell them your opting out/not accepting the changes.

Maybe Apple is implementing the changes to adapt to Europes way of doing things and thus they are bringing it to the US and other countries as well.

 

[UBS28]

Price increases should require new agreements

“Watch for notifications so you don’t miss price increases”….. is supposed to be good for users?

This is gaslighting 101 from Apple

It is good for Apple.

$$$$$

 

[hans1972]

Your idea is indeed much clearer.

But Apple aren't going for "clearer" -- they are going for "increased revenue with less cancellations or expirations".

Despite what Apple claims, nothing about this is "better for users".

The gall of their actions is becoming increasingly breathtaking.

They weren't lying about Services, Services and more Services revenue

The change is better for developers with subscriptions and most in these forums supports developers and want them to make more money.

I think this will have a strong support from those people.

 

[mrochester]

This seems like a very pro-developer (and by default pro-Apple) move. I’m surprised at the backlash given how fervently many seem to want developers to be given more power and for Apple to have less control. This move achieves that. It’s anti-consumer, yes, but that’s what many are pushing for.