Re:The App Store does not protect consumers
by throwaway-blaze on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @03:26PM
(#34601434)
Legitimate developers want this. It's not that Apple should "restrict the auto-charging aspect", it's that Apple should offer other models for developers to utilize!
There is no other way in the App Store to offer a free trial than to have an auto-charged amount (one time pay or subscription) at the end of it.
I'm not saying Apple doesn't deserve a slice of the pie. They make it possible to seamlessly sell our app in 193 countries with varying tax and regulatory regimes, all at the click of a button. But the app store brings in billions in revenue to them, offering functionality like giving developers the ability to refund customers or more creative ways to charge for our software seems like a no brainer at this point...
Re:The App Store does not protect consumers
by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @03:24PM
(#34601402)
It's strange to me that someone is willing to say this. The $2.99 case is clearly predatory:
> ... they know some people will forget to cancel. That's the whole point ...
Re:The App Store does not protect consumers
by diebeforei485 on Friday February 03, 2023 @11:50PM
(#34651646)
I don't think so. They probably got at least $1 - $2 of value during the trial, so even if they don't cancel they're probably ok paying $2.99 for it. This is called "breakage" and is commonly used in financial modeling.
Obviously $59 is a different story.
Now, this is fine and dandy for $2.99 app. But if the app is $59, it feels predatory.
I think Apple should restrict the auto-charging aspect of trials for apps if the price being charged is above some threshold - let's say $20. For such apps, the trial should just end.