4 ms·

Only tangential, but I really hate the "free to download, IAP to unlock" model. Why? Because IAPs don't "share" on family plans, so if I buy it, I need to buy i

by larrik 10y ago

Only tangential, but I really hate the "free to download, IAP to unlock" model. Why? Because IAPs don't "share" on family plans, so if I buy it, I need to buy it again for each of my kids. No thanks.

ensignavenger 10y ago
I really like the shareware model- a lot better than the pay 2 win model. As far as your concern, it sound slike an Apple problem/limitation to me.
- givinguflac 10y ago
  It's really not, I've shared IAP's between my devices. Nintendo is just being a bit greedy on this aspect. Also unless you link a nintendo account if you delete the game you'll have to buy it again, which is dumb.
  - ensignavenger 10y ago
    I didn't know that- I don't use any iOS devices. Sounds like Nintendo has implemented so really dumb DRM. (Well, all DRM is dumb, but this sounds really extra dumb.)
cableshaft 10y ago
It's annoying, but it has to do with how Apple bifurcates the free and paid tiers. If you want to get the visibility, you almost have to stick with the free tier. Why? Because people are much, much more likely to download something that's free and try it out than even something for a nominal fee, but if you have a separate 'free demo' app, then each app has a separate download count, and suddenly you've got a lot less downloads you would have gotten otherwise (some people would skip the free and download the paid, and a lot less people will download the paid in general anyway). Hardly anyone discovers apps outside the 'featured' and 'top paid' or 'top free' lists on the app store, so any loss in downloads drops you down those top lists, which can cost you a serious loss in potential revenue and is thus unacceptable. Also if you have a free and paid version you're forcing the user to download your game all over again just to purchase it, which adds friction to the purchase, which anyone in sales knows even a single extra click lowers the odds of people buying something by a lot. So the only thing that makes sense for most apps is to make your app free and allow people to spend money in the app to either unlock or acquire something in the game. There are some apps that are better served on the paid tiers, but those are usually apps that have enough visibility (or built-in audience, i.e. Cartoon Network games) and possibly a high enough price on other platforms that people would expect to pay something anyway (i.e. Minecraft Pocket, Square Enix games), or serve a niche audience of people that don't mind paying (i.e. app versions of board games whose prices are set at fraction of the price of buying the physical board game).
- AlexandrB 10y ago
  > It's annoying, but it has to do with how Apple bifurcates the free and paid tiers. Indeed. I don't think Apple gets enough blame for how they've (mis)managed the app store - especially in terms of available pricing models. The current approach encourages lots of "free" apps and games loaded with IAP and micro-transactions.
dpcan 10y ago
This was definitely my biggest negative for us. We have a bunch of devices, and my kids want to play, but I'm just not shelling out $9.99 for each device.
- Fnoord 10y ago
  Given how little content there is (I'm not saying the game is bad), you can share a dedicated device around a few hours or so, right? If it occurs more often, and is common, then I can see the problem.
celebdor 10y ago
IIRC it is possible to 'share'. Here's what some reddit users reported: you go with your account in the family device, go to buy the IAP again, it will tell you that you already bought it, so it won't charge you and it will get downloaded. After that, when the device goes back to the owner's account, the content will already be there.
- danso 10y ago
  That's been my experience with other IAP games, such as Phoenix Wright which is free but costs $15 for the full purchase. The full content is attached to my account no matter what device I use.
Singletoned 10y ago
I have lots of iOS games where the IAPs are shared with my family. I believe the developers have a choice of whether the IAP is long term or temorary. EG the "restore purchases" button you often see to use it on a new phone.

by larrik 10y ago

Only tangential, but I really hate the "free to download, IAP to unlock" model. Why? Because IAPs don't "share" on family plans, so if I buy it, I need to buy it again for each of my kids. No thanks.

ensignavenger 10y ago

I really like the shareware model- a lot better than the pay 2 win model. As far as your concern, it sound slike an Apple problem/limitation to me.

givinguflac 10y ago
It's really not, I've shared IAP's between my devices. Nintendo is just being a bit greedy on this aspect. Also unless you link a nintendo account if you delete the game you'll have to buy it again, which is dumb.
- ensignavenger 10y ago
  I didn't know that- I don't use any iOS devices. Sounds like Nintendo has implemented so really dumb DRM. (Well, all DRM is dumb, but this sounds really extra dumb.)

cableshaft 10y ago

It's annoying, but it has to do with how Apple bifurcates the free and paid tiers. If you want to get the visibility, you almost have to stick with the free tier. Why? Because people are much, much more likely to download something that's free and try it out than even something for a nominal fee, but if you have a separate 'free demo' app, then each app has a separate download count, and suddenly you've got a lot less downloads you would have gotten otherwise (some people would skip the free and download the paid, and a lot less people will download the paid in general anyway). Hardly anyone discovers apps outside the 'featured' and 'top paid' or 'top free' lists on the app store, so any loss in downloads drops you down those top lists, which can cost you a serious loss in potential revenue and is thus unacceptable. Also if you have a free and paid version you're forcing the user to download your game all over again just to purchase it, which adds friction to the purchase, which anyone in sales knows even a single extra click lowers the odds of people buying something by a lot. So the only thing that makes sense for most apps is to make your app free and allow people to spend money in the app to either unlock or acquire something in the game. There are some apps that are better served on the paid tiers, but those are usually apps that have enough visibility (or built-in audience, i.e. Cartoon Network games) and possibly a high enough price on other platforms that people would expect to pay something anyway (i.e. Minecraft Pocket, Square Enix games), or serve a niche audience of people that don't mind paying (i.e. app versions of board games whose prices are set at fraction of the price of buying the physical board game).

AlexandrB 10y ago
> It's annoying, but it has to do with how Apple bifurcates the free and paid tiers. Indeed. I don't think Apple gets enough blame for how they've (mis)managed the app store - especially in terms of available pricing models. The current approach encourages lots of "free" apps and games loaded with IAP and micro-transactions.

dpcan 10y ago

This was definitely my biggest negative for us. We have a bunch of devices, and my kids want to play, but I'm just not shelling out $9.99 for each device.

Fnoord 10y ago
Given how little content there is (I'm not saying the game is bad), you can share a dedicated device around a few hours or so, right? If it occurs more often, and is common, then I can see the problem.

celebdor 10y ago

IIRC it is possible to 'share'. Here's what some reddit users reported: you go with your account in the family device, go to buy the IAP again, it will tell you that you already bought it, so it won't charge you and it will get downloaded. After that, when the device goes back to the owner's account, the content will already be there.

danso 10y ago
That's been my experience with other IAP games, such as Phoenix Wright which is free but costs $15 for the full purchase. The full content is attached to my account no matter what device I use.

Singletoned 10y ago

I have lots of iOS games where the IAPs are shared with my family. I believe the developers have a choice of whether the IAP is long term or temorary. EG the "restore purchases" button you often see to use it on a new phone.