"We can better service them by being able to refund them, look up order status issues, and potentially contact them with issues they may have."
Order status issues for apps?
Giving developers the option of contacting users regarding issues is alright ... giving every developer of every app I installed my private phone number is NOT (in my personal opinion).
- the download failed, did I actually purchase it?
- has my refund been processed (note that the current setup lets developers have refund policies that are more generous than the Play Store's 15 minutes)?
- did transferring my purchase from another app store work (which often comes up if a developer leaves the other store)?
- why isn't my in-app upgrade working (could be a code bug, could be a processing bug on the in-app purchase, etc.)?
>Giving developers the option of contacting users regarding issues is alright ... giving every developer of every app I installed my private phone number is NOT (in my personal opinion).
That's... that's not what it is. It's every app you've PAID for. I would argue that giving people you've given money to direct access to be able to fix issues for you if they come up is a benefit.
Giving developers the option of contacting users regarding issues is alright ... giving every developer of every app I installed my private phone number is NOT (in my personal opinion).