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It’s understandable for paid apps. but what’s the point in asking for the password each time you want to download a free app?

by ztrww 4y ago

ccouzens 4y ago
And for that matter, why do you have to be logged in to your Apple account before you can download free apps?
- teruakohatu 4y ago
  "Free" apps are in many cases a gateway to billable IAP. And free apps without IAP are just an update away from having IAP.
  - mynameisvlad 4y ago
    This. If you're tightly managing the phone, for instance because of kids, then you're going to want to restrict access to free apps because it'll inevitably lead to accidental or intentional IAP purchases.
- elondaits 4y ago
  Apple’s geographical restrictions are account based, not current location based. Some apps are only available in certain countries. Hence, even free, apps are associated with an account in a particular region. Also, it’d be easy to ruin someone’s life by downloading a free app like Tinder or Grinder to their phone.
  - ccouzens 4y ago
    The app I'd like to install is Chrome. The iPhone is only for testing. It doesn't leave the house and I don't use it as a personal device so there isn't really anything to protect on it. Maybe I'm being unnecessarily stubborn, but I don't with to sign in with Apple ID on it. I don't think Chrome would be region locked. > Also, it’d be easy to ruin someone’s life by downloading That could be restricted by requiring the user sign in with their device unlock credentials. I don't see how requiring the device be associated with online Apple ID helps protect you. After all, if someone malicious got their hands on the phone and wished to install something contraversial they could create and sign into a throw away Apple ID.
    - scarface74 4y ago
      Why do you need to test Chrome on the iPhone instead of just testing on Safari? Chrome on the iPhone is literally a reskinned Safari. As are all iOS browsers.
      - ccouzens 4y ago
        It's not quite that simple. There are occasional differences with user interactions where one will have a bug the other doesn't (or you could say the bug is with the site). My colleagues have demonstrated these bugs to me. I've never looked into how you reskin a web engine, but I think there must be enough settings and hooks that not everything works exactly the same between iOS web browsers.
    - mynameisvlad 4y ago
      If you are managing a phone for your kids, for instance, they would certainly have access to the device passcode but would certainly not have access to the Apple ID password. Yes, they could probably create a throwaway account (I don't think you need a credit card to "purchase" free apps) but it's a barrier to entry that is likely too high for a lot of kids at the age of having a managed cell phone.
zimpenfish 4y ago
I dunno what's going on with that because I haven't been asked for probably a couple of years now - it's always FaceID for free or paid. And it's not a timeout thing - I probably only make an app-store "purchase" once every couple of months.
rollcat 4y ago
Because even installing a "free" app is considered a purchase/transaction (you can even see the text "processing payment" very briefly). The app is then "owned" by your account forever, so even if the developer later chooses to make it paid, it's still "yours" at the price you bought it ($0).
- Nextgrid 4y ago
  But that's an irrelevant implementation detail. The password requirement is there to protect the account owner from harm should an unauthorised user purchase apps or other expensive content using their account. There is no such harm for free apps.

It’s understandable for paid apps. but what’s the point in asking for the password each time you want to download a free app?

by ztrww 4y ago

It’s understandable for paid apps. but what’s the point in asking for the password each time you want to download a free app?

ccouzens 4y ago

And for that matter, why do you have to be logged in to your Apple account before you can download free apps?

teruakohatu 4y ago
"Free" apps are in many cases a gateway to billable IAP. And free apps without IAP are just an update away from having IAP.
- mynameisvlad 4y ago
  This. If you're tightly managing the phone, for instance because of kids, then you're going to want to restrict access to free apps because it'll inevitably lead to accidental or intentional IAP purchases.
elondaits 4y ago
Apple’s geographical restrictions are account based, not current location based. Some apps are only available in certain countries. Hence, even free, apps are associated with an account in a particular region. Also, it’d be easy to ruin someone’s life by downloading a free app like Tinder or Grinder to their phone.
- ccouzens 4y ago
  The app I'd like to install is Chrome. The iPhone is only for testing. It doesn't leave the house and I don't use it as a personal device so there isn't really anything to protect on it. Maybe I'm being unnecessarily stubborn, but I don't with to sign in with Apple ID on it. I don't think Chrome would be region locked. > Also, it’d be easy to ruin someone’s life by downloading That could be restricted by requiring the user sign in with their device unlock credentials. I don't see how requiring the device be associated with online Apple ID helps protect you. After all, if someone malicious got their hands on the phone and wished to install something contraversial they could create and sign into a throw away Apple ID.
  - scarface74 4y ago
    Why do you need to test Chrome on the iPhone instead of just testing on Safari? Chrome on the iPhone is literally a reskinned Safari. As are all iOS browsers.
    - ccouzens 4y ago
      It's not quite that simple. There are occasional differences with user interactions where one will have a bug the other doesn't (or you could say the bug is with the site). My colleagues have demonstrated these bugs to me. I've never looked into how you reskin a web engine, but I think there must be enough settings and hooks that not everything works exactly the same between iOS web browsers.
  - mynameisvlad 4y ago
    If you are managing a phone for your kids, for instance, they would certainly have access to the device passcode but would certainly not have access to the Apple ID password. Yes, they could probably create a throwaway account (I don't think you need a credit card to "purchase" free apps) but it's a barrier to entry that is likely too high for a lot of kids at the age of having a managed cell phone.

zimpenfish 4y ago

I dunno what's going on with that because I haven't been asked for probably a couple of years now - it's always FaceID for free or paid. And it's not a timeout thing - I probably only make an app-store "purchase" once every couple of months.

rollcat 4y ago

Because even installing a "free" app is considered a purchase/transaction (you can even see the text "processing payment" very briefly). The app is then "owned" by your account forever, so even if the developer later chooses to make it paid, it's still "yours" at the price you bought it ($0).

Nextgrid 4y ago
But that's an irrelevant implementation detail. The password requirement is there to protect the account owner from harm should an unauthorised user purchase apps or other expensive content using their account. There is no such harm for free apps.