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> I sure hope Apple is working on a way to enable free trials. Official support would be nice, but can't developers already implement trials using in-app purch

> I sure hope Apple is working on a way to enable free trials. Official support would be nice, but can't developers already implement trials using in-app purchases? Download the app for free to get the trial, then pay to unlock the full version. Many apps are already using this approach.

barranger 15y ago
They can, however it really isn't as smooth an experience for the user and Microsoft knows this well. One only has to look at how it works for Xbox Live Arcade games for an idea on how seamless this is. Give the user enough so that just as they are hooked, the trail runs out. One click of a button is the entire upgrade process. No dumping out to a different application (Marketplace) in order to purchase the full game, just a one second click of a button.
seanalltogether 15y ago
Not really. Apple disallows time bombs so you can only give people apps with reduced functionality. This works ok for games where you pay for level pack or app models that use "pay to remove advertising" schemes, but works badly for others.
potatolicious 15y ago
As others have mentioned, Apple disallows time bombs, but the problem goes further. Say you have an app, Foo. It's a reduced-function version and you want your users to buy Foo Pro. In order to use in-app purchases as an upgrade mechanism, you now have a bunch of customers running with Foo, except with Foo Pro functions unlocked. And you also have a bunch of customers running around with just Foo Pro. The second part of this mess is that, unlike app purchases, users cannot see which in-app purchases they already own. If they ever get a new device, reinstall the app, etc etc, they have to "buy" the in-app purchase again to unlock the Pro version, and pray they don't get double-charged (it happens). As an app developer this is a support nightmare scenario. This is not to mention that some users will mistakenly purchase the Pro version (and thus get double charged) when they get a new device, instead of downloading the regular version and "re-buying" the in-app purchase.
- kpao 15y ago
  Couldn't you use restoreCompletedTransactions to get the already purchased items?
- guygurari 15y ago
  > As others have mentioned, Apple disallows time bombs Yes, I did not know this. I don't understand the reason behind this rule, but as a user I find time-limited trials annoying. I prefer to have a trial version where I can use all the functionality but with a limited amount of data. For example, a task management app may restrict the number of tasks I can create. This way, hitting the limit is a good indication that the app is useful for me. Hitting a time limit doesn't actually mean anything, while crippling the functionality itself means I can't really try out the app. > you now have a bunch of customers running with Foo, except with Foo Pro functions unlocked. And you also have a bunch of customers running around with just Foo Pro. What I suggest is to not have Foo Pro at all. Just one version, Foo, which is free and can be unlocked. > The second part of this mess is that, unlike app purchases, users cannot see which in-app purchases they already own. I agree this is a mess, but remember that not too long ago there was no way to see app purchases either. So there is some hope this information will be added soon.
tonyedgecombe 15y ago
I'm not sure it makes commercial sense to offer trials on $1.49 software, you could loose a lot of impulse purchases.

barranger 15y ago

They can, however it really isn't as smooth an experience for the user and Microsoft knows this well. One only has to look at how it works for Xbox Live Arcade games for an idea on how seamless this is. Give the user enough so that just as they are hooked, the trail runs out. One click of a button is the entire upgrade process. No dumping out to a different application (Marketplace) in order to purchase the full game, just a one second click of a button.

seanalltogether 15y ago

Not really. Apple disallows time bombs so you can only give people apps with reduced functionality. This works ok for games where you pay for level pack or app models that use "pay to remove advertising" schemes, but works badly for others.

potatolicious 15y ago

As others have mentioned, Apple disallows time bombs, but the problem goes further. Say you have an app, Foo. It's a reduced-function version and you want your users to buy Foo Pro. In order to use in-app purchases as an upgrade mechanism, you now have a bunch of customers running with Foo, except with Foo Pro functions unlocked. And you also have a bunch of customers running around with just Foo Pro. The second part of this mess is that, unlike app purchases, users cannot see which in-app purchases they already own. If they ever get a new device, reinstall the app, etc etc, they have to "buy" the in-app purchase again to unlock the Pro version, and pray they don't get double-charged (it happens). As an app developer this is a support nightmare scenario. This is not to mention that some users will mistakenly purchase the Pro version (and thus get double charged) when they get a new device, instead of downloading the regular version and "re-buying" the in-app purchase.

kpao 15y ago
Couldn't you use restoreCompletedTransactions to get the already purchased items?
guygurari 15y ago
> As others have mentioned, Apple disallows time bombs Yes, I did not know this. I don't understand the reason behind this rule, but as a user I find time-limited trials annoying. I prefer to have a trial version where I can use all the functionality but with a limited amount of data. For example, a task management app may restrict the number of tasks I can create. This way, hitting the limit is a good indication that the app is useful for me. Hitting a time limit doesn't actually mean anything, while crippling the functionality itself means I can't really try out the app. > you now have a bunch of customers running with Foo, except with Foo Pro functions unlocked. And you also have a bunch of customers running around with just Foo Pro. What I suggest is to not have Foo Pro at all. Just one version, Foo, which is free and can be unlocked. > The second part of this mess is that, unlike app purchases, users cannot see which in-app purchases they already own. I agree this is a mess, but remember that not too long ago there was no way to see app purchases either. So there is some hope this information will be added soon.

tonyedgecombe 15y ago

I'm not sure it makes commercial sense to offer trials on $1.49 software, you could loose a lot of impulse purchases.