The new way to try out paid apps from the App Store for free is no good. In fact, customers can even feel deceived.
Why the App Store is misleading?
That says Daniel Jalkut, maker of the popular word processor MarsEdit. He responds to the news that it will be possible for developers to offer free trial periods of their paid apps. The decision was applauded by developers who have been asking for this position for years. A few months before the developer conference, an open letter was even written on this subject.
Although the gesture is appreciated, the effect is poor, says Jalkut. In a blog post, he points out no less than eight reasons why the new policy is doomed to fail. His biggest criticism is the (lack of) trust among app users that the new method will deliver. Customers are going to feel deceived, says the developer.
If you want to try out a paid app in future, you should 'purchase' the trial period as an in-app purchase. The same goes for unlocking the entire app: you also have to buy it within the program itself.
Unclear
In this way, all paid apps are now displayed under the heading 'Free' in the App Store. Besides that this does not benefit the clarity, it is also bad for people's trust. The developer is afraid that users of his app will complain about deception: nowhere is it indicated that the app actually costs money.
Furthermore, Jalkut believes that Apple is shifting responsibilities. In a new way, payment processing is no longer done by Apple, but within the app itself. In other words, developers now also have to program financial systems in their app.
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