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Ask HN: Abandoning iOS applications

7 points by CJefferson 14y ago

I wrote a slightly successful iPhone game ( http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/combination/id300288142?mt=8 ). I don't really want to keep paying Apple every year, but I don't really want to take the game away from users who have paid for it. I believe users will be able to keep the game if they have it on their computer, but Apple will remove it from their servers. I had a call from Apple today reminding me I have to renew within the next couple of days. Is there any reasonable way around paying Apple, or do I have to continue paying the Apple tax? This of course motivated me to finish an HTML5 version for this time next year!

gtmtg 14y ago
When you stop paying your developer account membership fee, the app isn't deleted from the users' devices - it is merely removed from the App Store. This means that existing users who don't have a copy of the app on their computers will still be able to keep the app if (1) they don't delete it from their devices or (2) they don't try to restore from iCloud (which basically downloads previously installed apps from the App Store).
coryl 14y ago
Do you not make money from the app? Or other apps? You can always sell the source to someone and let them maintain it.
- CJefferson 14y ago
  I only have one app. I made it free about 18 months, because I never updated it for iPads or retina displays, and now of course there is the larger iPhone 5.
HarshaThota 14y ago
You could always open source the app. That way someone could pick it up and maintain it after you but it may also be useful if someone wants to load it on to their (jail-broken) device afterward.
kls 14y ago
If you have the time to put together the HTML5 version before it expires, you may want to update the app to a Browser View that pulls the HTML5 down and displays it, this way future updated can be provided without having to update the IOS app. It's a pretty simple app to write, you just check the date on the web page when the app has connectivity, if it is newer than the one you cache then replace it with the newest page and then the browser view points to that locally cached page. New updates are literally just pushing out the app to the webserver.
- gtmtg 14y ago
  I'm pretty sure this (just a UIWebView with no additional functionality) would get the update rejected: See any of the answers here - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7421002/app-rejected-from-apple-app-store-because-uiwebview-need-some-advice http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7421002/app-rejected-from... - and http://www.makayama.com/checklist.html http://www.makayama.com/checklist.html (question 31)
  - kls 14y ago
    Good to know, I knew a while back developers where doing this to deliver HTML/CSS/JS developed apps to the app store. It seems Apple is now cracking down on the practice.
johnrgrace 14y ago
You could just let everyone who bought the iOS version download the HTML5 version.

7 points by CJefferson 14y ago

gtmtg 14y ago

When you stop paying your developer account membership fee, the app isn't deleted from the users' devices - it is merely removed from the App Store. This means that existing users who don't have a copy of the app on their computers will still be able to keep the app if (1) they don't delete it from their devices or (2) they don't try to restore from iCloud (which basically downloads previously installed apps from the App Store).

coryl 14y ago

Do you not make money from the app? Or other apps? You can always sell the source to someone and let them maintain it.

CJefferson 14y ago
I only have one app. I made it free about 18 months, because I never updated it for iPads or retina displays, and now of course there is the larger iPhone 5.

HarshaThota 14y ago

You could always open source the app. That way someone could pick it up and maintain it after you but it may also be useful if someone wants to load it on to their (jail-broken) device afterward.

kls 14y ago

If you have the time to put together the HTML5 version before it expires, you may want to update the app to a Browser View that pulls the HTML5 down and displays it, this way future updated can be provided without having to update the IOS app. It's a pretty simple app to write, you just check the date on the web page when the app has connectivity, if it is newer than the one you cache then replace it with the newest page and then the browser view points to that locally cached page. New updates are literally just pushing out the app to the webserver.

gtmtg 14y ago
I'm pretty sure this (just a UIWebView with no additional functionality) would get the update rejected: See any of the answers here - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7421002/app-rejected-from-apple-app-store-because-uiwebview-need-some-advice http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7421002/app-rejected-from... - and http://www.makayama.com/checklist.html http://www.makayama.com/checklist.html (question 31)
- kls 14y ago
  Good to know, I knew a while back developers where doing this to deliver HTML/CSS/JS developed apps to the app store. It seems Apple is now cracking down on the practice.

johnrgrace 14y ago

You could just let everyone who bought the iOS version download the HTML5 version.