[bugbuddy]

Wow, that’s the same experience that I havr trying to use any app on the iOS App Store. Download, use one basic feature, use a second feature? Nope sign up first. Ok, signed up. Ok now? Nope, that feature requires a subscription. It is very sneaky because the app does not need to show in-app purchase on the App Store info. I have given up on Apps now because of this.

[earthnail]

App developer here. Sadly, it’s what works. Put differently: when users browse for apps, it’s usually when their need for sth that solves the problem is relatively high. Which means you have a much higher chance of converting that user right now during onboarding than anytime later in the lifecycle of your app.

I wish Apple properly displayed prices though instead of this sneaky vague “contains in-app purchases” text.

[FpUser]

>"when users browse for apps, it’s usually when their need for sth that solves the problem is relatively high. Which means you have a much higher chance of converting that user right now during onboarding than anytime later in the lifecycle of your app."

I can't argue with this in general as I do not have the statistics. Personally however I just never give CC info unless I tried the thing and found out that it does work for me.

[cortesoft]

So do you just end up with a lot of unsolved problems? I get the principal, but does it end up hurting you in practice? Or do you end up solving the problem with a free tool? If so, I guess the product wasn’t really needed.

[TeMPOraL]

And/or the problem is minor enough to not be worth the costs of subscription - costs that include not just the sticker monthly price, but also cognitive space taken by unnecessary, unwanted, forced ongoing relationship with a random third party, and all the value-add/upsell bullshit on top. Couple that with relatively low trust that a random app is not trying to scam you somehow...

[FpUser]

>"So do you just end up with a lot of unsolved problems?

All the non free tools I use and paid for do provide trial version which lets me evaluate it without pulling out CC. Wake up and look around. Plenty of those.

[rrrix1]

Not OP, but some "problems" actually aren't.

More often, I'm looking for an easier / faster / better way to something I'm already doing, either because I want to do it _less_ (e.g. pay monthly bills) or I want to do it _more_ (e.g. find & read relevant news).

I'm Curious. Seeking innovation. Exploring.

Just because I can get water from a well with a bucket doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy modern plumbing and irrigation.

[Guthur]

None of them are really needed, we have survived for thousands of years without phones and computers.

Food is a problem i must solve, clicking on some cow clicker or whatever was never a problem until we made it one.

[aaomidi]

Well good thing is you don’t need to on Apple. Just get the free trial and cancel immediately?

[happymellon]

You can IAP and cancel?

Not a workflow I've tried.

[carom]

I uninstall so many apps like this. I would rather pay $2 up front.

[Repulsion9513]

Put differently: when we ask them to give us payment details at the start, we know a significant percentage will forget to cancel (or FOMO) after their need is gone.

[carstenhag]

They do display prices of in-app-purchases last I know, somewhere in the app listing

[earthnail]

Yes, but that price list is quite broken. A lot of apps have different price points - either for A/B testing, or because of discounts with partners, or educational discounts (we have a 50% discounts for students, for example).

Apple lists all prices in that list.

To make matters worse, if you ever decide to change your prices, you'll have both the old and the new prices in the list. Especially when you start out, you won't really know what a good price point is, and within a short amount of time the price list will be cluttered with all the prices you tried.

I'm sure Apple believes they're protecting the user here, but in reality they're serving neither the users or the developers with this.