Package Tracking App 'Deliveries' Switching to Paid Subscription Model Across iPhone, iPad, and Mac

[AZhappyjack]

I always find it ironic when people spend $700+ on a new iPhone every 2-3 years, $100+/month for cellular service in the USA, and balk at spending $5/year (in this case) for an app that they find useful.

I guess my question is do people think these developers are working for free? I really don’t understand the mindset. I personally don’t use this app, but would gladly spend a fair amount of money to keep developers developing great apps.

It's not the $5/month or $5/year that irks me... it's the hundreds of developers all wanting $5/month or $5/year for next to nothing. Make an app worthy of a decent price. Then make the updates worthy of a decent upgrade price. Don't shake me down every month just because you think you can. Because, guess what? You can't. I'll delete every damned one of these apps from greedy developers without batting an eye. Period. End of discussion.
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Y'know, I hate to say it, but assuming Junecloud is being honest about their motivations, there is another way to read this:

"Subscriptions will make it possible to download the app and try it for a month, because Apple won't allow us to offer a free trial on a paid app."

Except that I have already paid them for the app. I don't need a "free trial". What else you got?

 

[AZhappyjack]

I understand the sentiment, but when I spend $5 on an iOS app, I expect that the developer may release a paid upgrade some day. $5 is way too little to expect lifetime support, unless the app description explicitly promises it.

I have no problem with paying more than $5 for an app. I have done it hundreds of times... I've paid $20, $40 or more for apps that I consider worthwhile... who put a gun to JuneCloud's head and made them only charge $5 per platform?

I just get so tired of these greedy developers coming around with their hands out every month or year to allow us to use their wares... it's a freaking parade of beggars.

 

[jasonefmonk]

Unless you're using it for business and in that case you can at least use the subscription as a write off, I'm not sure why anyone just wouldn't get the email notifications from shipping companies.

You want an email every time an item was scanned in transit? That would be over a dozen emails for a laptop from Shanghai. I don’t understand why you think owning a business is a requirement for paying for convenience. Removing that clutter alone is worth $5 to me!

 

[damphoose]

Perhaps, anyone who's going to be ordering a new iPhone should be downloading this app. Does anyone know how accurate it is?

Why? Every single retailer provides tracking. Even sketchy people on eBay.
But to answer your question about accuracy, all the app does is check in to the UPS, USPS, Fedex, api so its accurate as can be. I get the same info from Amazon, Apple, and everyone else.

 

[CarlJ]

A r e w e a l l o w e d t o s u e t h e d e v f o r t u r n i n g t h e a p p t h a t w e h a v e a l r e a d y p a i d f o r i n t o a s u b s c r i p t i o n ?

You're not allowed to sue anybody until you get your spacebar fixed.

 

[adam9c1]

My info syncs across iPad, iPhone, & iMac using iCloud. Just remember to set ALL apps preferences, iOS and MacOS, to use iCloud. There were syncing issues with iCloud for a time, but those seem to have been addressed and resolved.

That said, I have no reason to “upgrade” to a $4.99/year subscription model.

I just confirmed.
I'm using iCloud to sync.

I'm happy with the app. I'm happy with manually adding a tracking number.

I think it would make more sense to split this into Deliveries (for home use) and Deliveries Pro (for those who get more than x shipments per month).

 

[drew0020]

It's not the $5/month or $5/year that irks me... it's the hundreds of developers all wanting $5/month or $5/year for next to nothing. Make an app worthy of a decent price. Then make the updates worthy of a decent upgrade price. Don't shake me down every month just because you think you can. Because, guess what? You can't. I'll delete every damned one of these apps from greedy developers without batting an eye. Period. End of discussion.
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Except that I have already paid them for the app. I don't need a "free trial". What else you got?

You sound like someone who has spent a lot of time developing apps

 

[AZhappyjack]

You sound like someone who has spent a lot of time developing apps

Actually, I have. But this thread is not about me. It's about money grabbing developers who won't (or are afraid) to price their perpetual licenses fairly for themselves. Instead they what to find a way to shake down their paying customers.

 

[noktulo]

Annoying. I’ve been using this for years. Time to look at alternatives.

I've also been using it for over a decade on Mac and iOS. Considering how much value I've gotten out of two one-time (inexpensive) purchases I'm happy to start paying 41¢ a month to support a small dev.

 

[iPadPublisher]

Who on earth needs this? All this info is FREE on the web

Between work and home shipments, I'm responsible for a lot of stuff both inbound and outbound. This app gives me a single place to wrangle it all. Its been very helpful and I've been using it for years.

Irritated beyond all belief at the constant borage of subscription stuff though. I already paid for this. Existing paid users should be grandfathered in. It feels slimy to start charging. Besides, "dark mode" doesn't cost them money on a monthly or ongoing basis, LOL.

 

[CJ Dorschel]

I've been using this app since day 1 and it's the only app I use on my Mac's and devices. Shame they went to a subscription system as I have thoughts on developers doing such but given that I paid a small price for an app years ago I use the most, I'll gladly pay $4.99 for an annual subscription especially as the developer continually keeps it updated.

 

[AlliFlowers]

When I first saw this I was annoyed. I’ve been using Deliveries for several years and find it quite useful. Then I saw the price. At $4.99/year, it’s not a deal breaker. I’ll happily pay that.

 

[rp100]

This problem seems to be plaguing all niche apps that have plateaued in their user base: new users dry up and the business leader has not paved a path forward for generating additional revenue. At this point the existing user base should’ve been given lifetime access and new users directed to a subscription model. Instead, all the “valued” customers are getting beat up for more money. Yes, software developers deserve to charge for their apps and services, but at this point in the game there is no excuse for doing this to your customers. The dev knew full well that they would only get paid once for the app. They could’ve even released a “new and improved” subscription version while leaving the old intact.

Perhaps phone apps need to start clearly following the model of desktop apps: you can buy a yearly subscription or pay full price for the current major release version and all updates. When the next major version comes out you would have to buy that or switch to subscription. My understanding is that, with the package tracking app, they are basically removing your ability to what you already purchased. Not a good message to broadcast...

 

[jhv123]

Not the same. Not by a long shot.

But I am super glad you found a solution that works for you. Now hopefully you can respect that your solution does not apply to the other 7 billion people on this planet.

 

[MiamiC70]

How can these **********ers just be allowed to change the terms of service and the agreement after the purchase? **** them and **** Apple!

 

[cylack]

I've been a paid user of this app for years. This is outrageous. There is NO justification to pay a perpetual $5 a year to use this. None. The "features" that have been added over the years have been minimal and are things that never effect me ex: "support for tracking packages on Denmark post, Amazon japan, etc". I will be switching to another tracking app once I'm forced to pay for this subscription. Subscription apps are a scam for minimally priced apps. I can see how a subsciption makes sense for a very expensive app that normally costs $1,000s, but charging me $5 a year to use an app that I paid just $5 to use and I've been perfectly content with using as is now is ridiculous.

 

[Itinj24]

Hold on a second... Their excuse for switching to subscription is so that those who were unwilling to pay the upfront cost can try it to see what they’ve been missing? But then turn around and still force those that were willing to and did pay the upfront cost in the past will still be forced into the subscription to get the full benefits of the app? In other words, those that paid the premium in the past are getting screwed when we thought we were getting lifetime full app benefits. Yes I am one of them and we should be grandfathered in. $4.99/year is peanuts but it’s the principal. The only thing tough to swallow is that they already got their revenue from us but I will not be subscripting in the future. Barely use it anyway. Was getting annoying to have to add each order to the app.

 

[MacBH928]

All these rental business will break and fall after they realize its not a convenient way of paying for software by the consumeres and they will go back to the license model.

That being said if I had a business I would gladly pay $5-10 a year to track all the packages going and coming.

 

[bebarhood]

I've bought this app a while ago and thought I made a huge mistake paying $4.99 for an app that practically does nothing special. It's a mere extension to the courier companies. Even after I finish tracking a package, when it's delivered, I can only archive it, and not be able to see my package tracking history. And now , they want to make it a subscription base? HUGE PASS!

 

[iPrabhu]

Really? Another apps going down the drain of subscription model. I don't know what features they are going to add in the new version and charge a subscription. Their justification for moving to this is hilarious.

 

[ersan191]

So basically the app would loose the sync between my computer, phone, and iPad.

I bought both apps, because of the feature of it being able to sync.

No, it can still sync via iCloud on Apple devices. If you are manually entering in your tracking numbers every time you won't lose anything.

 

[ersan191]

Slice does the same sort of thing and is free. People get upset because Slice uses the data from your package deliveries to figure out things like what products are being bought where, but I don't care if their databases know that I occasionally buy things from Amazon.

I tried Deliveries about two years ago, and, honestly, was not impressed. It looks prettier than Slice, but it just never worked as well. Slice gets everything automatically from my emails; Deliveries I found I had to enter almost every package by hand, at which point "what exactly did I pay you for"?

Slice stopped working with Amazon sometime in 2018 and they didn't bother fixing it until this year, and it gets maybe 1 or 2 updates a year anyway with no dev support.

If you care about auto-tracking use Route or Shop (formerly Arrive), don't use Slice.

 

[Smigit]

How can these mother****ers just be allowed to change the terms of service and the agreement after the purchase? **** them and **** Apple!

I really feel that developers should not be allowed to change the payment model for an existing app. If they want to go to a subscription model, they should be required to launch a new seperate application. That way people with the existing one time purchase copy can sit on it and not have auto updates blow the release away with a different one. The devs should be allowed to delist it from further sales and not issue updates, but those that own the app should be able to go back to the latest build if they want under the payment model they purchased it.

There’s been cases, Paste 2 for example, where the Devs said “we’re not taking the old version away from you”, except they effectively are unless you take the drastic steps to turn off auto updates across your entire device. Hardly reasonable. The devs know full well people will be auto updates onto a version that has a subscription baked in and often new limitations etc.

 

[mike090910]

Not really needed. Amazon sends you a text when your package is to be delivered. Both UP and FedEx allow you to sign up for notifications, complete with tracking when in the next 2 weeks you have ANY packages to be delivered. All for $0 cost.

 

[Mad Venture]

People are repeatedly missing the point of the Deliveries app. I'll pick out this example, but it's the same point others have also tried making (EDIT: including the response above, which came 6 pages after the one I'm quoting):

Seriously, though. UPS My Choice. FedEx Delivery Manager. USPS Informed Delivery. All free, and they'll notify you when there's a package headed to your address.

I count 3 "apps" right there, and you're not including Amazon, DHL, and others. Deliveries is 1 app. If I want to know what packages are arriving tomorrow, I'd rather check 1 app than 3+, especially if I want to know what packages are arriving each day this week.

(No, I personally don't get that many packages; but other people do. Even if you still don't grasp the purpose of the app, at least accept that for many people, it's a convenient solution to their use case.)