3 ms·

Personally, I try to stay away from free apps/games because I'm never sure what it's really going to cost me.

yareally 13y ago
In reference to that, I'm more concerned about what they do that isn't explicitly mentioned. Until not long ago, there was no permission denial for reading the sdcard/external storage area of Android devices (even now it's generally set to be disabled by default for legacy reasons). Given the amount of stuff apps store on there, an unethical app could have a field day mining such information. Although apps should take responsibility for what they store or do not store on an sdcard that doesn't always happen. Android really needs a sandboxed area for each app on the external storage and alternatively require an additional permission for universal sdcard access if it's needed (like by file explorer apps). That may be hard to do with the fact that even FUSE backed emulated sdcards found on some devices are still pretending to be a FAT-like filesystem.
dragonwriter 13y ago
To the extent that's true of free apps/games, its equally true of paid apps/games. The only way in which the two differ is that the ones that aren't free come with a particular known cost on top of all the potential unknown costs.
- ryanackley 13y ago
  Of course, paid games can screw you as hard as free games. However, in my experience, paid apps/games require less or no amount of in-app purchases than similar free games to extract the same amount of enjoyment.
  - dragonwriter 13y ago
    So far, none of the free games I've acquired and used beyond a brief checking-it-out period have required any amount of in-app purchase for my enjoyment. I think there is exactly one that I've spent anything on in-app purchases, and in that case its been about the same total as a fairly low-end paid game. Sure, they tend to offer lots of in-app purchase opportunities, and sometimes push them aggressively, but so do plenty of the paid games I have. Literally the only categorical difference I've seen is that paid games have an up-front payment.
baddox 13y ago
I don't get that mindset. If you avoid a free app because you might later choose to pay for something inside the app, then why not avoid the app store altogether, since you might also choose to buy a non-free app from there?
- purplelobster 13y ago
  To me it's a matter of not wanting to invest into something that you will later have to give up because it keeps asking you for money. Downloading and playing a game is a sort of emotional investment. I prefer an upfront fee for the whole thing rather than being nickeled and dimed with no end in sight.
- eps 13y ago
  Because free apps typically employ monetization tactics that are tacky, annoying and insulting, tactics that are generally not found in paid apps.

In reference to that, I'm more concerned about what they do that isn't explicitly mentioned. Until not long ago, there was no permission denial for reading the sdcard/external storage area of Android devices (even now it's generally set to be disabled by default for legacy reasons). Given the amount of stuff apps store on there, an unethical app could have a field day mining such information. Although apps should take responsibility for what they store or do not store on an sdcard that doesn't always happen. Android really needs a sandboxed area for each app on the external storage and alternatively require an additional permission for universal sdcard access if it's needed (like by file explorer apps). That may be hard to do with the fact that even FUSE backed emulated sdcards found on some devices are still pretending to be a FAT-like filesystem.

dragonwriter 13y ago

To the extent that's true of free apps/games, its equally true of paid apps/games. The only way in which the two differ is that the ones that aren't free come with a particular known cost on top of all the potential unknown costs.

ryanackley 13y ago
Of course, paid games can screw you as hard as free games. However, in my experience, paid apps/games require less or no amount of in-app purchases than similar free games to extract the same amount of enjoyment.
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  So far, none of the free games I've acquired and used beyond a brief checking-it-out period have required any amount of in-app purchase for my enjoyment. I think there is exactly one that I've spent anything on in-app purchases, and in that case its been about the same total as a fairly low-end paid game. Sure, they tend to offer lots of in-app purchase opportunities, and sometimes push them aggressively, but so do plenty of the paid games I have. Literally the only categorical difference I've seen is that paid games have an up-front payment.

baddox 13y ago

I don't get that mindset. If you avoid a free app because you might later choose to pay for something inside the app, then why not avoid the app store altogether, since you might also choose to buy a non-free app from there?

purplelobster 13y ago
To me it's a matter of not wanting to invest into something that you will later have to give up because it keeps asking you for money. Downloading and playing a game is a sort of emotional investment. I prefer an upfront fee for the whole thing rather than being nickeled and dimed with no end in sight.
eps 13y ago
Because free apps typically employ monetization tactics that are tacky, annoying and insulting, tactics that are generally not found in paid apps.