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> Assuming google works like Apple (correct me if I am wrong) While subscription cancellations work similarly, Apple holds your hand (from a dev perspective) t

> Assuming google works like Apple (correct me if I am wrong) While subscription cancellations work similarly, Apple holds your hand (from a dev perspective) than Google does. Apple's overall approach seems to just make sense. For instance: if you stop offering a particular plan because you don't want to offer it anymore (e.g. no more yearly plans, only monthly and quarterly). With Apple, you get a notification that you need to change your plan, but if the change happens w/in 7 days of your renewal, you'll be grand-fathered in. With Google... well... you cannot stop offering it. You have to communicate (manually) a cutoff date, (via their API) cancel people's subscriptions, and then deal with the fallout.

nerdjon 5y ago
How much does Google communicate to the user with this? One big benefit I didn't mention, is any yearly membership I get a communication from Apple that it is about to renew. Reminding me to cancel if I no longer want to use it. I don't know of a single service I have subscribed too directly that does this. Edit: I remembered one. FFXIV oddly enough reminds me every month that they are about to bill.
- nvahalik 5y ago
  I'm not really sure. I know some services I've used in the past like Harvest and TaxBot send before-the-renewed notices. Services that used Stripe did not.
forty 5y ago
Last time I checked (admittedly a long time on Apple, as a developer, I couldn't refund and cancel a subscription for my customers. They have to go through Apple to do that. Not a great experience.
- nvahalik 5y ago
  It’s usually fairly simple though. You (as a dev) don’t have to front the cost for support folks to handle it.
  - madeofpalk 5y ago
    You still have to answer the emails and say "Sorry no I cannot refund you, go ask Apple" and have the customer not believe you.
    - nvahalik 5y ago
      Actually, on the flip side Apple customers have usually gone through this before already. It's usually the Google folks we have issues with.
  - lxgr 5y ago
    It's not a pleasant process for consumers at all, in my experience. I'm not a big fan of hanging around in awkward support chats or calls for things that can usually be resolved with an email.
- nyuszika7h 5y ago
  In my experience as a user in the EU Apple's refund process is pretty good, I've basically never had a refund refused with the "right of withdrawal" option. But I guess it can suck if Apple randomly decides to refuse the refund even if the developer would be willing to accept it, especially for non-EU users.

nerdjon 5y ago

How much does Google communicate to the user with this? One big benefit I didn't mention, is any yearly membership I get a communication from Apple that it is about to renew. Reminding me to cancel if I no longer want to use it. I don't know of a single service I have subscribed too directly that does this. Edit: I remembered one. FFXIV oddly enough reminds me every month that they are about to bill.

nvahalik 5y ago
I'm not really sure. I know some services I've used in the past like Harvest and TaxBot send before-the-renewed notices. Services that used Stripe did not.

forty 5y ago

Last time I checked (admittedly a long time on Apple, as a developer, I couldn't refund and cancel a subscription for my customers. They have to go through Apple to do that. Not a great experience.

nvahalik 5y ago
It’s usually fairly simple though. You (as a dev) don’t have to front the cost for support folks to handle it.
- madeofpalk 5y ago
  You still have to answer the emails and say "Sorry no I cannot refund you, go ask Apple" and have the customer not believe you.
  - nvahalik 5y ago
    Actually, on the flip side Apple customers have usually gone through this before already. It's usually the Google folks we have issues with.
- lxgr 5y ago
  It's not a pleasant process for consumers at all, in my experience. I'm not a big fan of hanging around in awkward support chats or calls for things that can usually be resolved with an email.
nyuszika7h 5y ago
In my experience as a user in the EU Apple's refund process is pretty good, I've basically never had a refund refused with the "right of withdrawal" option. But I guess it can suck if Apple randomly decides to refuse the refund even if the developer would be willing to accept it, especially for non-EU users.