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Developers May Soon Be Able to Automatically Charge Apple Users for Subscription Price Increases
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This will not work in Europe because companies are required to give clear instructions on opting out if a service they provide increases in price. The UK was one of the worst countries for this, especially mobile phone companies and cable subscription companies who would raise their prices and inform the customer by post that their monthly payments would increase. They were forced by regulators to make it clear that if the prices were raised, they are to give clear and easy instructions and directions to cancel their subscription. Amazon is the latest company to come under the regulators headlights because Amazon make it extremely difficult for customers to cancel their Amazon Prime subscription.
Opting out will still be easy as you’ll just navigate to your subscription settings and cancel.
The only thing that’s changing here is that price increases for subscriptions are changing from opt-in to opt-out.
This is a worse experience for consumers but a better experience for developers.
The option is burried away in some setting tree on purpose. This is 100% a money grab, as the previous method allowed to people to reconsider if they want the service. It causes tons of people to unsubscribe compared to the OK. Apple is not your friend in this change.
Absolutely not. But Apple are currently being forced to make changes that are not friendly to consumers, this is just another to try and please developers.
We are starting to run up against the line where consumer interests are being trumped by developer interests. Expect it to get worse for consumers.
That’s the best way to send the message you are not happy with this change. Cancel your subscription services, live without them.
They didn’t, but the tide is turning including regulation that gives developers the upper hand.
Personally Id rather Apple have the upper hand but many governments and even people on this forum think they shouldn’t.
It is not going to happen like that because the regulators have been fighting back against such approaches because the argument has been that companies rely on customers forgetting to cancel their subscriptions when they are given a simple notice that prices are changing, it is a tactic that companies have used for years. Consumers have complained that if a company changes their prices then it is them who should provide a very quick and very simple solution for the consumer to cancel their subscription. It should not be upto the consumer to go though a lengthy process of having to cancel their subscription for something that is not of their doing. Even if you think canceling a subscription is 'easy', for many it is not.
If I personally take the decision to cancel a subscription then I accept the responsibility of having to go through a possible lengthy cancelation process but if a company changes it prices to a price that I do not like then they should provide a one stop solution for me cancel my subscription which is to provide me with a 'prices are increasing, do you with to cancel yes or no' clickable button.
Apple is doing away with this simple option and it is of my opinion it will fall foul of EU regulators.
I absolutely agree that the current solution is the best solution for consumers.
Does this change mean that developers can’t continue the current approach of opt-in rather than opt-out?
I see this action as Apple removing themselves from controlling the behaviour and passing the buck to the developers to take the appropriate action, I.e., the hands off behaviour regulators want Apple to take.
Just don’t subscribe to anything. When their revenues tank they will get the message and change. The only thing I subscribed to was iCloud and for the hell I’ve had in trying to get MY photos off iCloud, it will never happens again, EVER. Local storage for me now. To add, I don’t subscribe to any app and also don’t use any app that tries to steal my data. Even this website purposely tries to con people with their tracking. I spent 2hrs stopping it by a variety of methods.
I’m totally in the same boat as you. Subscribing to music? You’ve got to be kidding me! Music is something you should own forever.
People subscribing are simply validating the business model and making it more and more likely ownership will become less and less prevalent.
Agree. Same for films. I don’t subscribe to anything now. I built myself a big 20tb NAS drive (2x 10tb with mirror for backup but is a 4 bay so room to grow) and buy music from beatport (lossless wav) and films I buy a Blu-ray from the local CEX and rip them to my NAS but on the lookout for a place to buy films online where I can download it in 4k and keep forever with no subscription.
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Look at the housing market to see how that works. Those who own the property are rich and those who rent it tend to be a lot poorer, and in many cases, getting relatively poorer whilst the rich get relatively richer.
Sadly there are too many suckers who will hand over money month after month to rent things in perpetuity. This makes the rich richer and the poor poorer.
Look at the housing market to see how that works. Those who own the property are rich and those who rent it tend to be a lot poorer, and in many cases, getting relatively poorer whilst the rich get relatively richer.
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It's a tactical move by Apple in my opinion because they are getting fed up with all the app store law suits against them. Very ironic don't you think that Apples T&C's for dev's are very restrictive and very strict regarding payment systems but when it comes to subscription cancelations Apple are now saying 'hey regulators, nothing to do with us anymore, you will have to go after the dev's one by one'.
Apple will definitely let go of the reigns more freely when it impacts them less.
But it does highlight the utter hypocrisy of everyone involved. Companies, people, they all only want what’s best for themselves.
My grandparents and parents always drummed into me one of lifes experiences that I should take with me as I got older which is 'Make sure you look after and out for yourself because no one else will' which is something I see being used time and time again by companies and businesses. If they can screw you over, they will. If they can financially benifit themselves and not you, they will. It's how the world works and has done for generations.
Inflation applies to ALL our bills, utilities and services here in the UK. Goes up every April.
Along with the energy cost increases, many people won't have a pot to piss in.
Nope. Contrary to popular belief, there are some people in this world who do not stoop to such levels.
Only if the prices was stated when you sign it. i.e When you first sign the contract for $4.99, they could put in the terms when renewing in 12 months it will be $9.99. Again not the case here.