I was surprised when Apple started allowing this...it's getting really annoying to see all these "free" apps but then you have to make in app purchases to actually use it. Total BS if you ask me and it is rampant through out the App store & new stand. Has anyone heard any rumors of Apple doing anything about this?
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When is Apple going to get rid of this "in game purchase" crap??
- Thread starter salilsundresh
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Well yeah, that's of course what users like myself have been doing, there's not much else we could do at this point?
I don't understand, why shouldn't we expect something to be free when it is advertised as "free"? If you were to buy an iPhone and it didn't come with a processor despite it being advertised as a "phone" and you had to pay an extra $200 to get it to work, wouldn't you find that annoying?
How about the 3GS free now from AT&T. Would you expect to get that phone free and not sign up for a three year contract?
There is no free lunch.
You either pay up front, pay thru in-app purchases, or pay via ad supplements.
You chose thru the methods you use to support the developers of a product.
There is no free lunch.
You either pay up front, pay thru in-app purchases, or pay via ad supplements.
You chose thru the methods you use to support the developers of a product.
Why do you feel entitled to a free app? How is the developer supposed to make money if the app doesn't have ads, in-app purchases, and doesn't cost any money up front?
You have no right to a free app. You can bitch all you want about the ones that actually cost money, but it sounds pretty ridiculous to me that you are expecting the developer to work for free.
I'm not expecting developers to work for free, nor did I say in the past that I was. I'm not sure how this idea was formulated, did you read a different post when replying to this thread?
As a customer, I have no expectations regarding developers' salaries, my only expectation is to receive what appears to be advertised. If an app is Free, most customers don't expect it's primary functionality to be broken until they spend $15 on in app purchases. Likewise, if a customer pays $5 for an app, they shouldn't be expected to pay an additional $20 in order to get the app to work. Add-ons are one thing, but the essential functionality being crippled without additional purchases I feel is deceptive.
I wasn't disagreeing with the idea of apps requiring payment up front, I was talking about the apps that let you download them for "free" and then aren't functional unless significant in app purchases are made. Please feel free to review the initial post if you are confused regarding the topic of this thread. Thanks.
Yes, it often is, but that's what trial apps and "lite" apps are for.
How can we choose? This is precisely the problem and focus of this thread-customers are NOT able to pay up front. Please feel free to review the initial post if you are confused regarding the topic of this thread. Thanks.
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As stated above, nothing is free. You're paying one way or another and it's not just via ads. Do you due diligence before making a purchase.
We're all to blame. The expectation for an app price is 99 cents. If you look at games for computers and consoles, it's $40-$60. For business and other productivity apps it's $30-$99 or far beyond. Somehow the iOS apps have become an extension of the telecom provider promoted dubious mobile phone app market where a buck will get you 10 minutes of glee. I've literally heard people refer to a full-blown platform game costing $7 as "too expensive." Developers are putting out some great content and we're brow beating them if they can't deliver it for 99 cents. The general, cheap-ass public is pathetic.
No, I'm not a developer. I'm actually just a consumer willing to pay decent money to help fuel ideas that push the limits of this capable platform. I'll step down off of my soapbox now.
No, I'm not a developer. I'm actually just a consumer willing to pay decent money to help fuel ideas that push the limits of this capable platform. I'll step down off of my soapbox now.
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Again, please review the initial post before replying with an irrelevant response. This thread has nothing to do with how much developers choose to charge for their software. It is regarding the way things are advertised.
I don't follow what you're trying to say.
Kadman said:We're all to blame. The expectation for an app price is 99 cents. If you look at games for computers and consoles, it's $40-$60. For business and other productivity apps it's $30-$99 or far beyond. Somehow the iOS apps have become an extension of the telecom provider promoted dubious mobile phone app market where a buck will get you 10 minutes of glee. I've literally heard people refer to a full-blown platform game costing $7 as "too expensive." Developers are putting out some great content and we're brow beating them if they can't deliver it for 99 cents. The general, cheap-ass public is pathetic.
No, I'm not a developer. I'm actually just a consumer willing to pay decent money to help fuel ideas that push the limits of this capable platform. I'll step down off of my soapbox now.
Again, please review the initial post before replying with an irrelevant response. This thread has nothing to do with how much developers choose to charge for their software. It is regarding the way things are advertised.
I don't follow what you're trying to say.
I don't have an issue with it from what I have seen. Can you give an example of an app in particular that you are having a problem with the way it is implemented? I'm not calling you out, just want to see exactly what you are talking about. I haven't run across an app that is unusable without buying something in app. I have downloaded one game that is close, and promply deleted it. If you didn't spend real money to get game money to upgrade the weapons the game was incredibly hard. But the game was still playable and if you enjoyed it spending the money wouldn't be a problem. I would rather it be this way that the normal way of paying a couple dollars for an app that is utter crap. At least this way you can get a taste for it before paying for it. I really miss Androids return policy. It's only fifteen minutes so you aren't going to cheating developers buy playing through a whole game and then getting a refund and it keeps people from getting screwed with junk apps.
I did read your post. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to put this together. The core pricing issue is what has driven some app creators to put something out there that is "free" to bring is the lowballers I describe in my initial response and then tempt them to buy the in-app purchases if they find it of value. If it's openly advertised as really only being useful if you pay more, then those same lowballers will never even give it a look. Try to keep up.
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as an aside..its also the only way they can prevent people from illegally downloading their full apps without paying
I prefer a buy-up option in-app to having a lite version and a paid version listed separately in the store. It's quicker for me to check out the "in app purchases" section in the store to see what functionality might be missing between free/paid versions, vs opening both and reading the descriptions. I also like not having to delete the lite version then install the paid version. I have a bad habit of deleting lite versions from my phone but not on iTunes, so I get nagging reminders when the lite versions have updates.
None of this is really a big deal at the end of the day, but my preference is the way it is now. It was a little irritating at first, but since I don't think it will change back anytime soon I just adjusted my expectations.
None of this is really a big deal at the end of the day, but my preference is the way it is now. It was a little irritating at first, but since I don't think it will change back anytime soon I just adjusted my expectations.
I did read your post. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to put this together. The core pricing issue is what has driven some app creators to put something out there that is "free" to bring is the lowballers I describe in my initial response and then tempt them to buy the in-app purchases if they find it of value. If it's openly advertised as really only being useful if you pay more, then those same lowballers will never even give it a look. Try to keep up.
Regardless of how competitive the market is, it does not change the concept of misleading advertising. The subject of this thread is not to discuss why developers decide to be misleading, because regardless of their motivations-it is still misleading for users. This discussion was supposed to be about how things are affecting the end users and if Apple is going to implement any solution.
Is there not a slight benefit to this practice in that it allows a developer to allow you trial the app before you have to pay for the 'full version'? The other alternative is having to release a 'lite' version of the app which I imagine is a complete pain to maintain and not everyone will know the 'lite' version exists and simply skip over the app entirely.
The ability to trial an app is important as most people won't spend even £0.69 without at least being able to see what the app is like, there is far too much crap out there.
The ability to trial an app is important as most people won't spend even £0.69 without at least being able to see what the app is like, there is far too much crap out there.
You choose with your downloads and your wallet.
Support developers and software that offer you the purchase model you want, and don't support those who do not.
Believe me, as a developer it is very difficult to make any money, and all of us are willing to listen to PAYING customers if they are not happy with our payment options.
Contact the developer of your app of choice and tell him how much you would pay, today, for an app with no in app purchase options. Feedback is what we use to make decisions.
Developers report things like 10,000 downloads of the Lite version of an app followed by 10 paid downloads... Not enough to buy lunch...
I think the in-app purchase is actually a GOOD idea, so long as it's properly handled by the devs. Looking at the alternatives:
- Paid only app: Risky. You might not like it, and have to rely on reviews. From the dev's side, you get a much smaller number of downloads, fewer people see your app, so it's harder to make a living.
- Paid + free version: Better, but if you like it you have to download + install, then delete, puchase, download and install. Plus you lose your saved game (if it's a game). If it's a big download this is really annoying (and you end up with the unwanted free version in iTunes + your backups quite often..)
- Free with ads: Just generally annoying. Acceptable sometimes if it's an app you don't use often and don't really want to pay for
Then there's free + in-app purchase. You get to try it out, if you like it you pay and get the full version. Or maybe it's free but with ads, and you can pay to remove them. This is ideal to me.
Problem is, lots of devs aren't doing it 'right'. Some apps are totally crippled. Some are advertised as if they're the full version for free (I suggest reporting these to apple as misleading advertising). The most annoying is when it's the full game, for free, but the game is set up so it's impossible to get anywhere without buying something!
(And yes, I'm a dev, and no, none of my apps have any in-app purchasing at all.)
- Paid only app: Risky. You might not like it, and have to rely on reviews. From the dev's side, you get a much smaller number of downloads, fewer people see your app, so it's harder to make a living.
- Paid + free version: Better, but if you like it you have to download + install, then delete, puchase, download and install. Plus you lose your saved game (if it's a game). If it's a big download this is really annoying (and you end up with the unwanted free version in iTunes + your backups quite often..)
- Free with ads: Just generally annoying. Acceptable sometimes if it's an app you don't use often and don't really want to pay for
Then there's free + in-app purchase. You get to try it out, if you like it you pay and get the full version. Or maybe it's free but with ads, and you can pay to remove them. This is ideal to me.
Problem is, lots of devs aren't doing it 'right'. Some apps are totally crippled. Some are advertised as if they're the full version for free (I suggest reporting these to apple as misleading advertising). The most annoying is when it's the full game, for free, but the game is set up so it's impossible to get anywhere without buying something!
(And yes, I'm a dev, and no, none of my apps have any in-app purchasing at all.)
Seriously anyone who thinks in app purchases are an okay deal is a moron.
Apple is taking you all up the rear and your then paying them for it.
The reason they allow in app purchases is because they get 30% of every purchase, so they aren't gonna get rid of it otherwise they might make a few million less than normal this month.
I agree developers and app companies need to rake in a profit somehow but I think the way it's worked with every other games console worked better than this.
A few years ago you would pay 20 or 30 quid for halo and have the entire game for ever, with as many health packs and weapons as you can be assed to work for... But with this new invention of having your games console hooked up directly to your bank account, you get the game for free but you need to pay 5 quid for 3 or 4 health packs, which after you've died a few times can be quite expensive.
This kind of cr** also ruins online gameplay if it's available, it takes all the fun out and ruins any competitive aspect of the game if some snotty kid who blew 60 quid of his parents money on all the extras wins every match, kind of like air wings except that ones pretty cheap.
There's also the fact that a lot of these apps are awfull, really nothing compared to what games used to be like and they really aren't worth paying much more than 69p for in a lot of cases.
Apple is taking you all up the rear and your then paying them for it.
The reason they allow in app purchases is because they get 30% of every purchase, so they aren't gonna get rid of it otherwise they might make a few million less than normal this month.
I agree developers and app companies need to rake in a profit somehow but I think the way it's worked with every other games console worked better than this.
A few years ago you would pay 20 or 30 quid for halo and have the entire game for ever, with as many health packs and weapons as you can be assed to work for... But with this new invention of having your games console hooked up directly to your bank account, you get the game for free but you need to pay 5 quid for 3 or 4 health packs, which after you've died a few times can be quite expensive.
This kind of cr** also ruins online gameplay if it's available, it takes all the fun out and ruins any competitive aspect of the game if some snotty kid who blew 60 quid of his parents money on all the extras wins every match, kind of like air wings except that ones pretty cheap.
There's also the fact that a lot of these apps are awfull, really nothing compared to what games used to be like and they really aren't worth paying much more than 69p for in a lot of cases.
I don't have a problem with the in-app purchases; I just wish Apple would have a better way of defining them on the app store before getting involved with them. Would be nice if they had a box under the "Free App" or "Purchase App" button that says, "In-App Purchases : Item upgrades" or "In-App Purchases : Ad Removal" or something like that. This way you'll know what you're getting into and you can decide if you want to get involved with it.
Right now I have to look at "top in-app purchases" and see if it is there. Sometimes this doesn't work well, sometimes it does. Again, I have no problems with in-app purchases, some companies do them better than others, but at least let me know upfront if they are required. Nothing stinks more than buying an app (not free) and finding out later that in-app purchases are required to continue on.
Right now I have to look at "top in-app purchases" and see if it is there. Sometimes this doesn't work well, sometimes it does. Again, I have no problems with in-app purchases, some companies do them better than others, but at least let me know upfront if they are required. Nothing stinks more than buying an app (not free) and finding out later that in-app purchases are required to continue on.