App Developers to charge for iOS7 updates

Mimikyu

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srsly78

Surely the developer can choose whether an update is free or if it's a paid "dlc". Users are then free to avoid developers that use the much-hated dlc model.

Sad Professor

Well, I happily paid again for Reeder 2. The developer has put a lot of work into it. He previously offered v2 and 3 of the iPhone app as free updates. Then Google decided to screw their users. He didn't have time to update all 3 apps in time for the Google Reader shutdown and couldn't continue selling the app since it no longer worked. So he had no choice but to make this a paid upgrade or else work for free.

I wish everyone would stop whinging over a few euro/dollars. Developers deserve to be paid. €4.49 is nothing for an app that I use several times a day on two devices. If you don't think the app is worth it, then don't buy it and use one of the many free and inferior alternatives. The idea that buying an app once for a few euro/dollars entitles you to lifetime updates and support is absurd.

Mimikyu

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Sad Professor

Captain Morgan wrote: »

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I know, but that blog post you linked to seems to have been inspired by the Reeder developer's decision to charge for the new version. It caused quite an uproar on Twitter.

Obviously users think the app is worth it if if they paid for it in the first place. Would you be happy to spend €4.49 one week and have a new app released the next?

I think this is could be a slippery slope. Could some developers start releasing new apps annually and stop support for older apps? Would a subscription based model not work better then?

Maybe there needs to be an upgrade option in the App Store to allow devs to release a new app at a discount for current users?

I'm not a fan of upgrade pricing. It just ties users a particular (often bloated) app. The current system has its flaws as you pointed out, but I still like the way it encourages users to consider alternatives to the dominant app. Every time you pay for an upgrade you are basically buying the app anew, which gives other app developers an opportunity. It also keeps prices down.

As for the risk of buying an app and having the new version be released a week later at the same price, I would expect an honest developer to lower the price on the run-up. And if they don't, well that's another reason to consider an alternative. In Reeder's case, the iPhone app (which still works and afaik is still being updated) has been free for a while now.

Having said that, desktop users and developers are too set in their ways, so there probably is a need for upgrade pricing on the Mac App Store, but I'm hoping Apple figures out something else for the iOS store.

DubDJ

I wouldn't mind paying for an update, depending on how it actually has been updated. If its a game and its added a load of new content then I'd happily pay. But if its adding on a few levels, or an app adding a few small additional features and charging I wouldn't be too happy paying.

Graham

Captain Morgan wrote: »

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Unfortunately there's no means for developers to set an upgrade price for previous purchasers to the options open to them are fairly limited:

• Increase initial purchase price to take into account users will expect updates/support for years to come.
• Implement in-app purchase.
• Release new versions as new apps.

Depending on the App, you may also have to factor in the cost to the developer of maintaining a back-end infrastructure and providing ongoing support on top of the time it takes to develop the shiny new features.

mad muffin

I don't mind paying for major updates.

The problem is, how do I know a developer has abandoned an App and has released version 2.0?

Sad Professor

mad muffin wrote: »

I don't mind paying for major updates.

The problem is, how do I know a developer has abandoned an App and has released version 2.0?

One way I've seen developers do this is push an update to the old app (prior to its discontinuation) which includes a notification informing users of the new app.

Sad Professor

The Verge have written about this, including thoughts from the developers in question about the difficulties they face.

http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/9/20/4751856/are-ios-7-apps-burning-a-hole-in-your-pocket

It reveals that Fantastical (which is less than a year old) has a paid iOS7 upgrade in the works. This does annoy me. Not having to pay again so much (it was fairly cheap) as the fact that they seem to have deliberately held back Reminders integration in order to make v2 more appealing.

I'm on the fence about this myself. I mean, I bought Cut The Rope back in May 2011 and the game is now significantly bigger than it was back then; yet I haven't had to pay a penny extra for the new content. Similarly, in the PC world, it's often chargeable to obtain an updated application that's compatible with a new version of Windows.

However, iOS updates are both free and encouraged, so you may go ahead and install a new iOS without realising that you have to buy new apps.

Graham

Karsini wrote: »

However, iOS updates are both free and encouraged, so you may go ahead and install a new iOS without realising that you have to buy new apps.

Are there many examples of Apps that worked in iOS 6 but not iOS 7 AND where a new paid version of the app is now available?