Popular iOS Apps Now Free or Discounted for the Holidays

[dendowling]

What happens to these temporarily free/discounted apps down the line when they are updated?

When they get updated a few months or year later, do you end up having to pay the normal price later for the newer version?

 

[Traverse]

What happens to these temporarily free/discounted apps down the line when they are updated?

When they get updated a few months or year later, do you end up having to pay the normal price later for the newer version?

I've never heard of that. These are the actual apps, just on sale. You have the same features as someone who paid full price and get the same updates.

 

[Sasparilla]

What happens to these temporarily free/discounted apps down the line when they are updated?

When they get updated a few months or year later, do you end up having to pay the normal price later for the newer version?

That's the beauty of iOS, updates are free...and you can load it on all your iOS devices....seems crazy, but that is how it works.

 

[Traverse]

That's the beauty of iOS, updates are free...and you can load it on all your iOS devices....seems crazy, but that is how it works.

I've often wondered though, how do these developers support themselves? You release an app in 2013 and are expect to give free upgrades and support indefinitely. What is the incentive to keep up? Sure you can drive more purchasers, but that pool will dry up and you forced to constantly create more apps?

Part of me feels that major updates should be at a small cost...

 

[scottish]

I've often wondered though, how do these developers support themselves? You release an app in 2013 and are expect to give free upgrades and support indefinitely. What is the incentive to keep up? Sure you can drive more purchasers, but that pool will dry up and you forced to constantly create more apps?

Part of me feels that major updates should be at a small cost...

1Password release a new app for major updates.

 

[darkslide29]

I'm confused, did you buy the iPad to personally enjoy or are you trying to be a free advertiser for Apple?

What?? Lol. I'm just trying to get a good looking game to show off to friends or eye candy for myself.
I remember Apple regularly features Infinity Blade in their keynotes so I was asking for an opinion of if it's the best looking game to get, or open to suggestions also.

Sorry it was confusing.

 

[Merax]

Good deals there

Can any other indie devs comment on whether lowering prices (without advertising) has helped boost sales? Do people even notice?

 

[iSayuSay]

I've often wondered though, how do these developers support themselves? You release an app in 2013 and are expect to give free upgrades and support indefinitely. What is the incentive to keep up? Sure you can drive more purchasers, but that pool will dry up and you forced to constantly create more apps?

Part of me feels that major updates should be at a small cost...

That's why more and more apps now offer IAPs. Many of them are great for games. In game coins, gems, items, weapons. Those are huge cash cows for sure. It gives much better incentive and lure people to buy more, more and more.

Keep the cost upfront, as you said will earn you less and less when the pool dried up.

 

[vincebio]

better check your iTunes account / bank accounts guys..

i downloaded Elements last night, it was FREE when i pressed it.
Today i got a bill for £9.99.

 

[Habakuk]

Thanks for that comprehensive compilation!

Discount pricing on many of these apps will be in place for at least a week, as Apple will shut down iTunes Connect from December 21 to December 27, preventing developers from implementing app changes.

I am not a developer but as much as I know devs can set timers for price changes. Is that true? (Any1?) So will there be price changes (up- or downwards) during the next week despite the temporary iTunes Connect shutdown?

Thanks in advance for all precious hints in this case. It's important because you almost never know when a price goes up again. Should I decide NOW for buying an app being on a special sale or in five days (when I'll have more spare time for that)?

 

[mr.steevo]

better check your iTunes account / bank accounts guys..

i downloaded Elements last night, it was FREE when i pressed it.
Today i got a bill for £9.99.

That's crooked

 

[iSayuSay]

better check your iTunes account / bank accounts guys..

i downloaded Elements last night, it was FREE when i pressed it.
Today i got a bill for £9.99.

Yeah. Something is fishy with [free] Elements app. It wouldn't let me download either while it was free. Five minutes later it's coming online with $13.99 again.

 

[Traverse]

That's why more and more apps now offer IAPs. Many of them are great for games. In game coins, gems, items, weapons. Those are huge cash cows for sure. It gives much better incentive and lure people to buy more, more and more.

Keep the cost upfront, as you said will earn you less and less when the pool dried up.

I don't mind that business model as long as they don't go overboard...like 1000 coins for $99.99!

 

[Elbon]

How to purchase SW complete game?

Maybe I'm just being dense, but I don't see any way to purchase the rest of the game from within Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I tapped through all of the menus but I don't see anything that allows me to buy the other episodes. Does anyone know how to do this?

 

[jclo]

I'm confused, did you buy the iPad to personally enjoy or are you trying to be a free advertiser for Apple?



Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense as far as why it happened, but with the global nature of the Internet the App Store not running deals according to local time of the purchaser seems wrong.

Some fact-checking by a certain website would have helped avoid confusion, too.

I debated including Elements at all because it said it was a limited time sale, but I decided to add it so hopefully a few people who saw the post would get to download it for free before it went paid again.

I did include a mention that it would only be up for a limited time, I'm sorry you missed out. I've removed it from the list now.

 

[iWeekend]

As a follow up to "element-gate", does anyone have a link to a summary listing of adult oriented science/discovery apps that might be on sale? Adult in this particular case meaning no longer celebrating single digit birthdays.


The toucharcade list was great, something like that?

I see appshopper is close

 

[richard371]

Vjay name still cracks me up. Vjay jay.

 

[Parasprite]

I've never heard of that. These are the actual apps, just on sale. You have the same features as someone who paid full price and get the same updates.

Dictionary.com app did that a while back. It made the app free suddenly as a discount promotion, but eventually made another non-free app which was ad-free. Sort of a bait-and-switch, sort of.

 

[taptic]

Tiny Thief ftw!

 

[Hihowareyou]

Just got all free ones, like I always do. (despite not having an iOS device)

They'll come in handy some day.

Lol @ digital hoarding!!!!!!!! =P

 

[SeaFox]

I've often wondered though, how do these developers support themselves? You release an app in 2013 and are expect to give free upgrades and support indefinitely.

Not necessarily. One thing the developer can do is designate a major re-write with a new interface as whole new app, and then only provide more minor improvements/bug fixes to the original, eventually "retiring" the first app. I've seen people annoyed by devs doing this, but you can't please everyone all the time anyway.

What?? Lol. I'm just trying to get a good looking game to show off to friends or eye candy for myself.
I remember Apple regularly features Infinity Blade in their keynotes so I was asking for an opinion of if it's the best looking game to get, or open to suggestions also.

You just gave the impression you were specifically looking for something to show off your iPad and it wasn't really about whether you'd want to play the game. I would personally say if you like Inifinity Blade, based on the huge amount of content in this edition, you should get the latest one, and it shouldn't really matter to you if it's the best-of-the-best graphics-wise.

I debated including Elements at all because it said it was a limited time sale, but I decided to add it so hopefully a few people who saw the post would get to download it for free before it went paid again.

I just think it should have been mentioned this was measured from the London time zone since the developer said it would only be free for that specific day. I'm sure your inclusion of it did make some people happy, though.

 

[ellsworth]

I'm not an app developer but I've created layout and interface designs for many iphone apps. Many of them were offered free (without ads) or for a very low price because they were created as a complimentary piece to a larger marketing campaign. The apps were used to push the sales of DVD and blu-ray releases or for fans to download before going to a concert or comedy show. Unfortunately, most of these apps were also one-offs and would never get updated past their relevance.

Apps that are constantly updated regularly make the majority of their money from initial sales. $1 and $5 apps really add up to big bucks if your app is popular. Every update cost the developer money depending on how intense of an update an app gets. Sometimes, production companies and developers make a deal for X amount of updates for an agreed upon budget. These costs can only be a fraction of the amount of money made in sales so the developers come out on top in the end.

 

[Hihowareyou]

I'm confused, did you buy the iPad to personally enjoy or are you trying to be a free advertiser for Apple?

I'm confused, are you the be all/end all in why people should own apps/games or are you a pretentious & judgemental snob?

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You just gave the impression you were specifically looking for something to show off your iPad and it wasn't really about whether you'd want to play the game. I would personally say if you like Inifinity Blade, based on the huge amount of content in this edition, you should get the latest one, and it shouldn't really matter to you if it's the best-of-the-best graphics-wise.

In case (for shame!) you were laboring under the misconception that you were entitled to your own opinion... SeaFox is here to tell you what you SHOULD do & what SHOULDN'T matter to you!!! Lmao, wow....

 

[Hephaestus]

Here's hoping Limbo gets a price cut.

 

[tien1504]

PicPlayText is Free as well (from $1.99 to FREE)