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App Store responds to freemium haters, features ‘Pay Once & Play’ games with no in-app purchases

App Store  As part of Apple’s weekly App Store refresh, the company is currently highlighting iOS games for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that are paid apps with no in-app purchases, MacStories points out. The featured section is notable as in-app purchases have been a source of confusion and frustration for many consumers since their introduction despite being an added revenue source for developers and Apple.

Apple has made a number of moves to help its customers avoid issues that spring from the use of in-app purchases, especially in games, both at the request of various government agencies and on its own.

Most recently, Apple moved to change the way app prices are presented to users in its App Store.

Specifically, apps which were previously accompanied by a download button labeled free began showing labels saying “Get” to avoid presenting “freemium” apps with in-app purchases as totally free to use.

More broadly, Apple has faced class action lawsuits from consumers and disputes with the United States Federal Trade Commission over issues surfacing from the use of in-app purchases within free apps.

The company settled over a lawsuit with the FTC last year despite its position that it resolved issues that potentially made making purchases unintentionally on the App Store. At the time, Apple CEO Tim Cook relayed to the company its actions to protect consumers from making purchases unintentionally in the App Store.

Apple also prominently displays an In-App Purchase explainer at the bottom of the front page of the App Store, added in 2013, which highlights parental controls available in iOS to disable making in-app purchases and more.

While the featured section could become a permanent part of the App Store, Apple often uses the space to for one-off collections of apps without refreshing them.

Aside from issues with accidentally spending and misleading marketing over in-app purchases, though, some customers simply prefer the experience of paying upfront for an app and not worrying about needing to unlock more content later, which this week’s App Store feature also serves to address.

(Image via Twitter)

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Comments

  1. Milorad Ivović - 9 years ago

    This is a good move. If Apple continues to feature pay-once games, maybe more developers will return to that model. Honestly, I’d rather pay 30 bucks for an ipad game, than deal with the highway robbery of freemium games.

    And it is highway robbery, almost literally. You’re cruising along minding your own business, enjoying the progress of the game, when all of a sudden it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to survive untiless you buy extras.

    Cheapium works better for me. It’s a happy medium where the dedicated can finish for the lower entry price, but the easily frustrated or lazy, can fork out for a helping hand. Just as long as finishing the game without in-app purchase is actually possible.

    • nono68200 - 9 years ago

      I play some games with “in-app purchases”, but I had never and will never buy in-app purchases. However, I paid some games with no in-app purchases, like Monument Valley, Threes, or Leo’s Fortune.

      • iAlborz - 9 years ago

        same here!

  2. Taste_of_Apple - 9 years ago

    Good news.

  3. Excellent move. So many games and apps are ruined by distracting advertisements and demands for money. I have little use for advertising, energy mechanics (recharged by real money), play-and-wait (unless you pay real money), irritating paywalls, or pay-to-win.

  4. I love the game Leo’s Fortune. Awesome graphics and play.

    I am not bothered by in-app purchase games. I get to a point and stop playing and delete. but i am also not the type that feels a great desire to finish…the games stops being fun, I stop playing.

  5. rgbfoundry - 9 years ago

    Thank GAAAWWWD!

  6. Good move, but personally, I feel that freemium games should be banned from the app store. Games should not be allowed to have in-app purchases for anything except additional levels. No power-ups, no berries, no credits.

  7. charilaosmulder - 9 years ago

    This should’ve been a permanent category, not a temporary featured section that no one will remember after it’ll be removed in just a week.

  8. emulajavi - 9 years ago

    They could add it as a category on AppStore

    – Pay Once
    – All Free
    – Free & Pay
    – Pay & Pay

  9. Carter (@carter4sweeps) - 9 years ago

    Be aware that there’s currently nothing restricting an app developer’s ability to switch from premium to freemium after launch. In the last few months, some of my favorite apps – apps I purchased because I dislike the freemium model – have switched to freemium, limiting or changing my access to what I purchased. It feels very much like ‘bait and switch’.

    And while I do not believe it’s good business to alienate the users who financially supported one’s app in its early growth, developers are doing it more and more to survive. Apple seriously needs to restrict developers so that they cannot take money from people and then change the app’s monetization mechanism – I honestly can’t believe this doesn’t violate trade laws and am waiting for a lawsuit.

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.