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This can happen, when non-scrupulous devs 'deprecate' an older version of their app in favor of the 'new' version. e.g., you buy 'CoolApp' and in-app purchase f

This can happen, when non-scrupulous devs 'deprecate' an older version of their app in favor of the 'new' version. e.g., you buy 'CoolApp' and in-app purchase features for it. But oh no, 'CoolApp2' has come out and 'CoolApp' is no longer updated for newer devices, so sorry. Otherwise, an app, and its in-app purchase set remain available via a user's iTunes account indefinitely as far as I can tell.

s73v3r_ 8y ago
I fail to see how that's unscrupulous, as that's a new version of the app, and that's how software was sold for decades.
- sillyquiet 8y ago
  I mean, that's a fair point that I completely support, but I was thinking of the cases where the 'new' version has no new features other than a name change.
  - wool_gather 8y ago
    If you have an actual example of this happening, send a support email to Apple. They generally take this kind of thing fairly seriously (caveat: provided that the app has a large enough audience). It won't help you immediately, but they may better scrutinize later updates from this developer. And they certainly will take categorical action if they find enough bad actors doing something to screw up the App Store as an environment.
FlukE_ 8y ago
Even on a mobile platform, I think that's okay if it's a major iteration or if the software is designed for power users. e.g. the OmniGroup and their line of apps. I've happily paid for 2 iterations of their omnifocus app now.
scarface74 8y ago
Why is it "non-scrupulous" for a dev to charge for a new version of piece of software? Are they suppose to update an app forever without further compensation?
- sillyquiet 8y ago
  I personally think devs cross from scrupulous to non-scrupulous somewhere between 'this new version has no new features, but we changed the name of it so buy it again' and' 'we charge in-app for feature x, thanks for buying, but that payment is not enough to justify a free update'
  - scarface74 8y ago
    Unfortunately, part of the blame is Apple's for not having a clean upgrade pricing solution. You can do it with app bundles but it's a hack.
- noxToken 8y ago
  Here's a realistic scenario. I pay for CoolApp. It works fine even though CoolApp2 is live on the store. I get a new phone. I go to download CoolApp, but it's no longer available. If I want to use CoolApp, I must use CoolApp2. I'm not expecting CoolApp to be forever supported. CoolApp works fine for my use case, so I planned on continually using CoolApp until it made sense for me to upgrade. But now that CoolApp2 is the only version available, I have to buy the newer version alongside my new device. If I turn on my old phone, I can still use CoolApp without skipping a beat. I think that's what the other commenter was getting at.
  - sillyquiet 8y ago
    That's the scenario I was thinking of. I think most of the debate on this thread is my use of 'non-scrupulous' to describe that scenario. Which is fair.
  - nodamage 8y ago
    Except that's not correct. If you've purchased CoolApp you can always re-install it via the previous purchases section of the App Store, even if the developer has removed it from sale. So you can continue using CoolApp as long as it continues to work on your iOS version and device.
nodamage 8y ago
Actually, even apps that have been removed from sale by the developer can still be installed by the customer through the previous purchases section of the App Store. (Assuming it's still compatible with the device and version of iOS you're trying to install on.)
- sillyquiet 8y ago
  Right, I was thinking specifically of a number of apps that were never updated and won't run on newer devices.
  - nodamage 8y ago
    Well if an app has been abandoned then it's abandoned and there's nothing anyone can do. But if makers of 'CoolApp' release 'CoolApp2' with support for newer devices then I think that's entirely reasonable to remove the original version and ask users to pay for the upgrade.

s73v3r_ 8y ago

I fail to see how that's unscrupulous, as that's a new version of the app, and that's how software was sold for decades.

sillyquiet 8y ago
I mean, that's a fair point that I completely support, but I was thinking of the cases where the 'new' version has no new features other than a name change.
- wool_gather 8y ago
  If you have an actual example of this happening, send a support email to Apple. They generally take this kind of thing fairly seriously (caveat: provided that the app has a large enough audience). It won't help you immediately, but they may better scrutinize later updates from this developer. And they certainly will take categorical action if they find enough bad actors doing something to screw up the App Store as an environment.

FlukE_ 8y ago

Even on a mobile platform, I think that's okay if it's a major iteration or if the software is designed for power users. e.g. the OmniGroup and their line of apps. I've happily paid for 2 iterations of their omnifocus app now.

scarface74 8y ago

Why is it "non-scrupulous" for a dev to charge for a new version of piece of software? Are they suppose to update an app forever without further compensation?

sillyquiet 8y ago
I personally think devs cross from scrupulous to non-scrupulous somewhere between 'this new version has no new features, but we changed the name of it so buy it again' and' 'we charge in-app for feature x, thanks for buying, but that payment is not enough to justify a free update'
- scarface74 8y ago
  Unfortunately, part of the blame is Apple's for not having a clean upgrade pricing solution. You can do it with app bundles but it's a hack.
noxToken 8y ago
Here's a realistic scenario. I pay for CoolApp. It works fine even though CoolApp2 is live on the store. I get a new phone. I go to download CoolApp, but it's no longer available. If I want to use CoolApp, I must use CoolApp2. I'm not expecting CoolApp to be forever supported. CoolApp works fine for my use case, so I planned on continually using CoolApp until it made sense for me to upgrade. But now that CoolApp2 is the only version available, I have to buy the newer version alongside my new device. If I turn on my old phone, I can still use CoolApp without skipping a beat. I think that's what the other commenter was getting at.
- sillyquiet 8y ago
  That's the scenario I was thinking of. I think most of the debate on this thread is my use of 'non-scrupulous' to describe that scenario. Which is fair.
- nodamage 8y ago
  Except that's not correct. If you've purchased CoolApp you can always re-install it via the previous purchases section of the App Store, even if the developer has removed it from sale. So you can continue using CoolApp as long as it continues to work on your iOS version and device.

nodamage 8y ago

Actually, even apps that have been removed from sale by the developer can still be installed by the customer through the previous purchases section of the App Store. (Assuming it's still compatible with the device and version of iOS you're trying to install on.)

sillyquiet 8y ago
Right, I was thinking specifically of a number of apps that were never updated and won't run on newer devices.
- nodamage 8y ago
  Well if an app has been abandoned then it's abandoned and there's nothing anyone can do. But if makers of 'CoolApp' release 'CoolApp2' with support for newer devices then I think that's entirely reasonable to remove the original version and ask users to pay for the upgrade.