Daniel Jalkut:
On Monday Apple announced that they are officially supporting so-called “free trials” for non-subscription apps. The reaction has been a breathless celebration that Apple has finally relented and given developers something we’ve been asking, no begging, for since the dawn of the App Store.
But what really changed? Not much. Apple announced no functional changes to the way the apps are categorized, how pricing is conveyed to customers, or how the physical transaction of downloading, trialing, and potentially purchasing an app takes place.
While many of us will be happy to have free trials available to us, as a developer, Jalkut still has some understandable concerns he hopes Apple will address.
I think a good portion of people who take advantage of this approach will be surprised to learn that Family Sharing won’t work (as Daniel points out).
A really thoughtfully written response that points out some very real issues. You wouldn’t think some of the things he writes would be a big deal, but it’s amazing how people throw an absolute shit fit in reviews on apps that offer free trials the way Apple currently allows, putting the entire onus on the dev and the app through no fault of their own.
People think an app listed as free should, you know, actually be free. If an app essentially requires a purchase to function (not add-on features, etc.) then it belongs in the paid app section. Seems simple, but as it stands Apple won’t allow it if you’re trying to give the customer a chance to try the app first.