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I fail to see the problem here. There are dozens of these apps offered for free, some the developer decides to charge per month. User just has to find the fre

I fail to see the problem here. There are dozens of these apps offered for free, some the developer decides to charge per month. User just has to find the free ones. Should Google now tell app developers what to charge? That's ridiculous.

mirimir 7y ago
No. But Google and Apple ought to require clear disclosure of price and conditions. Also, free trials shouldn't transition to paid usage without explicit authorization.
- point78 7y ago
  Ok and your first point, but your second point...That's exactly what a free trial is by definition. It's free for a period of days until you are a paying member.
  - mirimir 7y ago
    Not really. Payment should require authorization at the time of payment. I mean, what's the point of a free trial if you must commit to paying in order to start the trial? I do understand that this is a common dark pattern. But common or not, it ought to be illegal. And these bullshit apps are perfect examples of why. So is the New York Times, but that's a different fight.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
  - cannonedhamster 7y ago
    The correct way to opt out of the trial can sometimes require leaving the Google ecosystem, i.e. you must submit an email, which clearly isn't how Google wants these to run. It's also sometimes done as white on white text, text too small to read on a mobile device, or text that's buried in a a TOS intentionally. These aren't people legitimately attempting to offer a service, they are trying to dupe people.
  - diffeomorphism 7y ago
    No, it isn't. A free trial is free for a period and then stops unless you decide you want to become a paying member. In contrast, this here is signing up for one year with an early cancellation full refund. All the while tricking you into thinking it were a free trial.
dmurray 7y ago
Not that ridiculous. Google likely knows better than any one developer how much to charge to maximise revenue, in the same way that Airbnb knows best what homes will rent for. Lots of hosts defer to Airbnb's recommended price. Of course, Google has an incentive to maximise total Play Store revenue, so their incentives don't line up with any individual developer. But I can definitely imagine a world in which almost everyone just allows Google to manage their pricing.

mirimir 7y ago

No. But Google and Apple ought to require clear disclosure of price and conditions. Also, free trials shouldn't transition to paid usage without explicit authorization.

point78 7y ago
Ok and your first point, but your second point...That's exactly what a free trial is by definition. It's free for a period of days until you are a paying member.
- mirimir 7y ago
  Not really. Payment should require authorization at the time of payment. I mean, what's the point of a free trial if you must commit to paying in order to start the trial? I do understand that this is a common dark pattern. But common or not, it ought to be illegal. And these bullshit apps are perfect examples of why. So is the New York Times, but that's a different fight.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- cannonedhamster 7y ago
  The correct way to opt out of the trial can sometimes require leaving the Google ecosystem, i.e. you must submit an email, which clearly isn't how Google wants these to run. It's also sometimes done as white on white text, text too small to read on a mobile device, or text that's buried in a a TOS intentionally. These aren't people legitimately attempting to offer a service, they are trying to dupe people.
- diffeomorphism 7y ago
  No, it isn't. A free trial is free for a period and then stops unless you decide you want to become a paying member. In contrast, this here is signing up for one year with an early cancellation full refund. All the while tricking you into thinking it were a free trial.

dmurray 7y ago

Not that ridiculous. Google likely knows better than any one developer how much to charge to maximise revenue, in the same way that Airbnb knows best what homes will rent for. Lots of hosts defer to Airbnb's recommended price. Of course, Google has an incentive to maximise total Play Store revenue, so their incentives don't line up with any individual developer. But I can definitely imagine a world in which almost everyone just allows Google to manage their pricing.