The thing is, where Europe is concerned, this could back fire on Apple if they make it too cumbersome for customers to cancel their subscriptions because EU governing bodies, especially in the UK are already investigating companies who make it too cumbersome for customers to cancel their subscribtions, Amazon, mobile phone network providers and sky/cable providers being the ones in the headlights at the moment because all of them have been found to currently make it difficult for customers to cancel their subscriptions, difficult as is in having to go through too many selection options on the phone or too many web pages if online.
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Apple Now Letting Developers Automatically Charge for Some Subscription Price Increases
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Apple make it incredibly easy to cancel subscriptions as they are all managed from a central point.
Ironically, requiring Apple to allow 3rd party app stores and payments will likely make it more cumbersome for consumers to cancel subscriptions as they won’t all be managed from a central point as they are now via the apple App Store. But at that point it’s not Apples problem (although I suspect Apple will get the blame in the court of public opinion). But EU regulators must be happy with that since they are pressing ahead with that regardless.
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But Apple can put in an update to their T&C's that make it a requirement of the app store that developers make cancelling subscriptions an easy process. If they don't and Apple allows developers to take it upon themselves to make it difficult for customers to cancel subscriptions then yes Apple should rightly get the blame if they do not include such conditions in the T&C's of the app store.
I don't understand your comment. Every time I get a trial I immediately cancel it, regardless of whether I want it or not, because I don't want to forget and then go through the hassle of claiming back the first subscription if I don't want it. It has never ever terminated the trial in the way you describe, it always runs its course and then terminates after the original length that was stated.
But we are trying to take power and control away from Apple. That’s the whole point of the regulation so that Apple has no say over how these things operate.
Exactly my point but with Apple it doesn’t ? try cancelling a TV+ Trial early for example. If you got a 30 days trial but you cancel it on day 1, the trial ends immediately and you loose access for the remaining 29 days of your initial trial
As a consumer that’s how I would expect it to work. If I start a trial of something I set a reminder in my calendar to cancel a day or two before the trial is due to expire and turn into a paid service.
No one else does that though. I am kind of a trial „hoe“ and I always cancel everything 1 minute after signing up so I won’t forget. Even a phone plan that runs 24 months, I cancel after 15 days so I don’t have to remember it two years from now
Because most Apple users have no idea how to cancel a subscription. They would continue to pay for an App they had deleted years ago, and Apple would get their 30% cut. With the popup, the subscription would be automatically cancelled, which loses valuable revenue from these victims. With the new approach, users still won't know to cancel a subscription, and the revenue stream increases.
If Apple cared about not screwing users, why would subscriptions continue after deleting an App? when you delete an App, you should be prompted to cancel its subscription. Or better, you should be asked if you want to continue the subscription.
I don’t read emails about apps and I rarely, very rarely, have app notifications on. I don’t do subscriptions on any apps, but this doesn’t sound OK to me.
Definitely can’t do that here! If I cancel my phone plan now it would cancel within 30 days or cancel as soon as I used the PAC to move my number to another network. I would then be subject to an early termination charge as I had cancelled the contract early.
Definitely can’t do that here! If I cancel my phone plan now it would cancel within 30 days or cancel as soon as I used the PAC to move my number to another network. I would then be subject to an early termination charge as I had cancelled the contract
That could only work if the subscription process was always controlled by Apple. That is already not always the case and the direction of travel is to make that even less of the case.
Very surprising move. It is better when user has to agree to the change in price.
Maybe it's time to muster up some personal responsibility if you choose to subscribe to apps?
That probably won’t help, and is likely to make this particular situation worse.
Not a fan of this at all. Seems very un-apple like.
Not really since the max monthly increase is $5/mo or $50/year. A $2/mo app can only increase to $3/mo. If you are paying for a $20/mo app, it can only go up to $25/mo.
Let's put it this way. A subscription is a contract. You change the price on me without my permission you're an *******.
Also it's illegal in most of the EU. For example, phone and/or internet is fixed price as per the contract and if they want to change the price they need a new contract period, and you can refuse to sign and cancel no matter how old the contract was.
I understand that Apple at the moment has no idea what consumer protection means, but they could, you know, hire some lawyers in europe to advise them that this is a stupid move, besides being immoral?
Personal responsibility to read marketing material that’s irrelevant to me 99.9999% of the time? Nah, that’s not personal responsibility, that’s busy work.
Sadly not the case in the UK, and was also not the case even when we were in the EU. Our mobile, broadband contracts etc normally all have clauses in them that state the price will increase once per year in line with inflation plus and additional percentage. As consumers we agree to that when we take out the contract therefore the price increase is not reason for being able to get out of the contract penalty free.
But this is not what we are talking about. What Apple are doing is changing the terms to be opt-out rather than opt-in. You can chose to opt-out penalty free if you want. So I doubt this would fall foul of EU law as you’ll be given prior warning of the price increase and be able to cancel before the price increase takes effect.
Well, as an adult, if you choose to take any personal responsibility, you then become responsible for accepting the consequences.
Sounds good to me.
It is not opt out if i'm not notified that i should consider opting out. No matter how you put it. They added an extra step that has no justification with the exception of fleecing their customers.
As for the UK, I'm thinking it will go more consumer hostile with BRExit
