Notability Users Frustrated By Switch to Subscription Model Claim Violation of App Store Guidelines

[gfbio]

Unmotivated subscription models are really starting to bother me.
I mean, in this case which additional value is the developer brining to justify an annual cost? Are they going to hire more developers, to finally satisfy the community's feature requests? I fear it will end up with us paying annually for a service that does not improve.

The developer should first before explain what he wants to do with that money, then I may consider to subscribe. Otherwise, they're just taking away features I've already paid for.

 

[Abazigal]

Why not grandfather in full pay purchasers and launch a subscription model for new customers? All of this could have been avoided.

My guess is growth is tapering off (meaning most people who want the app will already have purchased it), so you won’t be able to survive solely off new users (who are going to even more dissuaded from purchasing said app once it goes subscription-based).

The devs did launch some sort of an App Store inside the app where you could purchase additional templates, but I guess the revenue from that wasn’t enough to keep them going.

They probably put this off for as long as they could. In the end, I still argue that we need to be open to paying good money for productivity apps if we want to sustain developers continuing to create good apps for the platform.

Fantastical. Overcast. Apollo. Notability. Bear. 1password. Things. LumaFusion. Tweetbot. We are able to enjoy these iOS apps only because the money is there, and they are still inexpensive enough for me to continue supporting the developer, so that I can in turn continue to benefit from these great apps.

 

[merrilyaberry]

The alternative would have been that they just abandoned the current app, and create a new one. Maybe a fairer option.

Precisely.

 

[alphasports]

Didn't read this entire thread so many others probably said the same thing, but I just use Keep for quick n dirty notes, and OneNote for more elaborate stuff, I don't really do the whole markup or note-sharing thing. I switch back and forth between iOS and Android so the cross-platform solutions are the best for me.

 

[psxp]

Glad I chose GoodNotes a while back, but it Seems they weren’t paying attention when 1Password did this a few years ago… ?

 

[Techwatcher]

While it's of course sad for any user, I'm really hard sympathizing with a comment like this:

So he's been using the app for 6 years after paying 9 bucks and some more for the macOS app. And it's supported him through three degrees. And how he's upset the company who's obviously provided a great product want a stable financial model to help them keep providing a good app. Do they all think these companies can really survive for almost a decade on a $9 purchase and free upgrades after that.
The grandfathering is that they don't have to pay for the first year. I guess you can argue that's not enough, maybe add more time. But still...

You’re missing the point. It’s the principle of it all. I’m sure he can afford it. But when you buy something then it should be yours to keep. Do what other companies did: You want to make a subscription app then make a new app and leave the original alone. Even Microsoft Office makes a distinction with their separated “365” line.

Anyways boot Notability from the App Store.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Yep. Sounds like a crap job to be a developer. Apple raises prices and people line up and say take my money. lol. Let a dev do this and it’s outrageous.

That's a crappy comparison. Apple isn't asking me to pay a monthly fee from now on just to keep my Macbook, which I paid in full the day I bought it.

 

[EdT]

That's a crappy comparison. Apple isn't asking me to pay a monthly fee from now on just to keep my Macbook, which I paid in full the day I bought it.

QUIET! Don’t GIVE them ideas like this!

 

[fuchsdh]

I dislike subscriptions as much as the next guy, but I can see why the developers need to have a source of income to keep up development. I personally prefer the system used in apps like Agenda where you only (voluntarily) pay for new features as they are released and get to keep any feature you've previously bought indefinitely.

Definitely see why they felt the need to switch to subscriptions, but it's a bit different to say "hey we're going subscription and all new features you're going to need to pay for" and this strategy that feels like they're "taking away" features from people who paid for them. I dunno if this is actually going to hurt the company but they should have been able to expect they would lose goodwill for this.

 

[JCCL]

What a bunch of greedy jerks. If you buy a perpetual license, you are supposed to keep the functionality you paid for. You dont necessarily get new functionality updates, but they shouldn’t take it away.

Even Microsoft offers office as a perpetual model and their preferred 365 subscription. If you buy the perpetual version it doesn’t get new features. But what it does when you bought it will always be with you.

 

[J___o___h___n]

Shocking decision. Apple should remove them until they correct this poorly made decision.

They should not have removed features customers have paid for and only give them back if the customer subscribes ongoing. Very bad decision.

I’ve just left a 1 star review and deleted the app.

 

[Gmc8538]

I also understand that the developers need paid, but how about they... y'know develop more productivity apps? Gingerlabs only have two apps on the store.

They've the option of what they are trying to do now (Lazy option..!), or develop something new. Guess they've no ideas on what else they could do beside a notes app.

They don't respect the people that gave them money to get them into the position they are in. Dangerous game!

 

[Vlad Soare]

I will never, ever, under any circumstances, pay a subscription for a product. I'm willing to subscribe to a service, but not to a product.
For instance, allowing me to store my data on your servers (e.g. iCloud) is a service, and I will gladly pay a recurrent fee for it. But an app that works locally on my phone, and which doesn't require anything from you from that point on, is a product. I'm willing to pay once for it, but that's it.

 

[RoadWarrior56]

I am a user of Notability on my iPad Mini, and have been using it for 2.5 years. It is a great tool for marking up PDF plan drawings, and jotting down notes in general It works great with the pencil and the Logitech Crayon. I may now look for a substitute. I hate subscriptions, out of general principal. However, if they ever improve it to read Adobe-generated comments on PDF drawings, I may reconsider my position on subscribing. That is Notability's one glaring weakness in my opinion.

 

[aquaman1992]

While it's of course sad for any user, I'm really hard sympathizing with a comment like this:

So he's been using the app for 6 years after paying 9 bucks and some more for the macOS app. And it's supported him through three degrees. And how he's upset the company who's obviously provided a great product want a stable financial model to help them keep providing a good app. Do they all think these companies can really survive for almost a decade on a $9 purchase and free upgrades after that.
The grandfathering is that they don't have to pay for the first year. I guess you can argue that's not enough, maybe add more time. But still...

Couldn't agree more. I'm someone who's been using Notability since 2014. I have hundreds of notes over the three degrees as well and use them for personal use. I willingly paid for new add-ons like math conversion, etc so I could support the developers. I bought the MacOS version which was then replaced two years ago. Honestly, if this means we'll get better support and quicker feature rollouts then I don't mind paying as long as I'm using the app. For a bit more than $1 a month, we support the developers who made and kept a good app running for so long.

 

[sracer]

After getting frustrated with OneNote, Evernote, and Day One, I switched to Joplin. Open source, private, free, and surprisingly easy to use, I haven’t looked back. It might be a good option for Notability refugees.

THIS. I thought I was the only one using Joplin.

Joplin's cross-platform capabilities and optional support for markdown makes it my go-to for non-handwritten notes... It's absolutely terrific. But I don't see how it would be an option for Notability users who primarily use it for handwritten notes.

 

[chrono1081]

Notability needs to fix this ASAP. Otherwise I fully support booting them from the App Store.

 

[Gmc8538]

Couldn't agree more. I'm someone who's been using Notability since 2014. I have hundreds of notes over the three degrees as well and use them for personal use. I willingly paid for new add-ons like math conversion, etc so I could support the developers. I bought the MacOS version which was then replaced two years ago. Honestly, if this means we'll get better support and quicker feature rollouts then I don't mind paying as long as I'm using the app. For a bit more than $1 a month, we support the developers who made and kept a good app running for so long.

You think you're going to see 'better support' and 'quicker feature rollouts'? Don't make me laugh. This company has run out of ideas on how to monopolize on this app as the moneys starting to dry up on new sales and now are doing this instead of being creative and developing something new.

Let's not forget they're going against app store guidelines...

 

[rp100]

This story highlights the issues/risks of being an app developer in the 21st century. The general market expectation for smartphone apps has been, “pay once, free upgrades for life”, and while great for customers it forces developers to constantly expand their customer base in order to generate revenue. Whereas before, when software distribution was physical and high speed internet was non-existent, it was easier to create new versions and ask for upgrade fees. Now, people don’t understand why they can’t just click a button and get the upgrades for free: “It doesn’t cost you anything to update the features for which I already paid.” Or: “I already paid for this - why are you asking me for more money?”.

Instead of moving back to the 80s-00’s model of yearly paid releases, it seems like we’re swinging in the total opposite direction, i.e. “life as a subscription” model. You cease to “own” anything in a traditional sense - if you stop paying money to the developer, you lose the ability to use the software (regardless of how much money you’ve previously paid or years of prior usage). Software as a utility is becoming very much like traditional utilities (gas, electric, water).

As for Notability? They are one of the earliest and most successful note-taking apps in the AppStore. It’s clear that the devs are running out of customers to purchase software and they don’t make money when customers install it for free on every new device upgrade. I think they will ultimately provide a “legacy” version for prior customers and apologize. My hope is that this experience will motivate them to create new, lust-worthy features for the subscription service and ultimately convert the “legacy” users. No doubt they miscalculated this decision and the customer reaction, but a shrewd and humble response could pay dividends for years to come.

 

[ururk]

The Deliveries app from Junecloud did the same crap and got away with it despite many complaints, so I assume this app will as well.

I purchased the Deliveries app and was a bit frustrated about the change. However, you aren't required to subscribe (and I never subscribed) as it can use iCloud to sync deliveries, instead of their service. It's annoying because I cannot add deliveries from my computer, but with handoff/shared clipboard it's not too much of a pain. I didn't mind paying the original fee because I use the app so heavily, and had been using the widget for years prior.

Personally, I don't mind paying for software every year or every other year - but on my terms, not theirs. I don't want to be forced to pony up cash for a program I might launch once in a blue moon.

Billings did the same - and I still use the desktop version.

 

[Vampiresoup]

Notability users have been left frustrated and annoyed after the developer of the popular Mac and iOS note-taking app revealed on Monday that it has switched to a subscription-based model, and that key features included in original app purchases will stop functioning after one year.

Previously available as a one-off $8.99 purchase, Notability for iPhone, iPad, and Mac is now free to download on the App Store, but not all the features are available in the "freemium" version, and those that are included have editing limitations.

To get "the full Notability experience" offered by version 11.0 of the app now requires an annual $14.99 subscription, which includes unlimited note taking and access to additional features that are otherwise available as in-app purchases.

As far as it affects current users who purchased the full app, key features will become non-functional after one year, after which they will have to subscribe to retain the feature set they originally paid for. In other words, no grandfathering scheme is currently being offered. Addressed to those users, a Medium post from the Notability Blog explains:
Thousands of Notability users have taken to Twitter and Reddit to express their frustration with the unexpected change.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1455309118491660291

https://twitter.com/x/status/1455212700263387138

https://twitter.com/x/status/1455206160856928260

As many users have pointed out, on the face of it, the change appears to violate Apple's App Store Review Guidelines, which state "if you are changing your existing app to a subscription-based business model, you should not take away the primary functionality existing users have already paid for." We've reached out to both Notability and Apple for comment.

Notability has garnered an Apple Editors' Choice spot and is regularly a top-ranked app worldwide on the App Store. The app has gained widespread popularity with students and teachers alike, as it includes a variety of note-taking, journaling, and drawing tools, and can be used to mark up imported documents.

The other popular note-taking app for iOS and Mac that Notability is often compared to is GoodNotes, which remains available as a one-off $7.99 purchase on the App Store.

Several popular apps have switched to subscription models in recent years as a way to stave off dwindling income after years of free updates, but some developers have taken a different and less divisive approach.

For example, just over a year ago the developers of popular paid-for camera app Halide released Halide Mark II as a whole new app, and gave it to all users of the original app for free, with all the new features and updates free for a year. After the year is up, the app continues to work, but to get additional features requires an optional subscription or a one-time purchase.

Article Link: Notability Users Frustrated By Switch to Subscription Model Claim Violation of App Store Guidelines

The Scriptation app did this a few years ago. I purchased it for 20 dollars then watched it change to subscription. My old purchase was completely useless. It seems smaller companies do this often and hope to fly under the radar. Hopefully if enough people complain companies like this will be held accountable.

Day One changed to a subscription model a few years ago but because I'd purchased it before the change, they grandfathered me in. I'm not a fan of subscriptions but if a company's going to go that route, they should AT LEAST support their earlier customers.

 

[jst_testing]

Was on the way of switching out anyway. Their killer feature is recording and replaying them at the exact spot you wrote notes, but constant iCloud backup issues/retrievals leaves a bad taste.

Craft + Noted (which were always subscription to begin with) seem to be updated more often with good features, so will try these for a while.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

much of the functionality

Much yes, but not all. They took away some capability from those who had bought the full product.

 

[imnotthewalrus]

“Greed is good….” Except not.

/s

 

[Orange Bat]

I’m really sick of paying for so many subscriptions. It’s becoming super difficult to keep track of every subscription I have. In other words, I really dislike the subscription model.

However, as an iOS developer, I can tell you that subscription models work. When you “give away” a basic app and then charge a subscription fee for more features, you get more people downloading the app and paying for it. Consumers see “free” and go for it, while they’ll ignore an app they have to pay for once. It’s a bit of a bait and switch, but it’s the only way to really make money.

Of course like everyone else I think Notability should freeze this version of the app and start a new app for the subscription model. Want new features? Download the new app and purchase the subscription.