I’m willing to bet you’re probably correct on the API cost. Whenever functionality like this “breaks,” it’s usually because the other party has increased the price of accessing the data. Deliveries could scrape fedex.com for the data as a workaround, and FedEx could then block them. (Maybe this was already happening.)
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Deliveries App Loses Functionality as Shipping Companies Refuse to Participate
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I do understand it. When you have every high school kid in the world wondering if they can make the next Flappy Bird you will have some competition. That's fine.
A feature isn't an app. Businesses need to do a cost analysis. That's on the developer to do. If they can't survive on $3.49 then maybe they shouldn't make the app.
No developer should think they can survive on a single app. That's not reasonable.
Interesting thoughts — I will add that the App Store created the low barrier for large scale mobile software distribution, and that is good for developers. Good and bad for consumers — good for the wide variety and lower price of software — bad in the low barrier for entry that has produced poor software and issues such as what you describe.
I suppose another issue is control of the data — anytime an app uses third party data and tries to monetize this, they are beholden to the third party and it’s only a matter of time before that third party will want a larger piece of the action.
Presumably you didn't read all my post where I discussed up front payment models.
In addition how would you feel if you paid $49.99 for this app only to have it break after one year?
How's your model work out then?
Same, I personally hate subscription apps but $5 for a year, not a month for an app that provides me with so much convenience is worth that tiny price. Seriously, it's $50 a decade, not exactly expensive compared to a lot of other apps that charge more than $5 monthly.
Cool, so not a free ride since there was an up-front cost.
Regardless, I’m glad a dev who shoehorned subscriptions into their previously useful app is now stuck with a nonfunctional one. It’s a good start, time for more sub-happy devs to go under
You're happy a Developer is habit g problems leading to a loss of functionality?
Wow... Sounds quite callous.
I do a bad job at work? I lose my job. I decide to just stop supporting a file or macro I created? Guess what, I lose my job.
People don’t get a free pass just because they decided to sit on their computer longer than the average person while not being salaried. That just makes them either a bad negotiator or a gambling addict thinking they’ll come up with the next million dollar app
Your loss of job affects you.
A Developer losing their livelihood not only affects them, but people who paid for and use the app.
I’ll remember this next time I make an app that is basically a reskinned google query with notification capabilities
Ooh, and charge $ for it, and a few years later change to a subscription based model
Developers aren't asking to get (just) their own payment method.
Give us the ability to distribute apps with no involvement from Apple.
Apple wants to withhold Xcode from us? That's fine, I'll use an IDE from JetBrains or something open source. The App Store? I'll use Epic's or Valve's or Amazon's store or roll my own.
Apple provides extraordinarily little of value to developers. The primary thing that Apple does is engineer barriers to maintain their position as a pointless person in the middle that everyone has to pay. Apple's behavior is generally known as Rent Seeking.
Aside from an entire library of API calls, documentation, and tools.
Yup, nothing at all.
Still need xCode. How else you going to interface with iOS?
BTW what if your CEO does a bad job? Then how about you all lose your jobs.
That sit well with you?
If I knew where to send the email I’d be happy to tell FedEx I’m picking other carriers for inbound shipping when I order stuff, if they want to be uncooperative with the Deliveries app. The additional motvation is that they have been a total FU mess lately, with delayed and lost packages.
Aren’t they just scraping data from the delivery agents’ website? So it’s the delivery company paying for server costs, with the Deliveries app piggy backing off them.
Chances are they use their own infrastructure to batch up API calls to be most efficient.
Just to be clear: I used to use Deliveries until they went subscription. I decided that for me the app wasn’t worth the subscription.
They run servers to allow syncing data between devices without iCloud. Push notifications also require the developer to run a dedicated server, though I’m not sure if that’s the case here.
Same thing can be said with Apple's own services. Apple Music, AppStore for various Apple devices, Arcade. Nothing is certain when you involve 3rd party into the equation.
