Apple has introduced a small but interesting tweak to the way it markets apps on the App Store. As you can see in the screenshot above, non-paid apps are now presented with the word ‘GET’ rather than ‘FREE’. While the reason for the change in how Apple is presenting non-paid apps isn’t clear, it’s likely due to the popularity of ‘freemium’ apps and in-app purchases, something that has been the source of controversy for Apple in the past…
Apple has taken a great deal of flack from customers and consumer protection groups through the years over apps marketed as free that push in-app purchases. The freemium model has been used in some cases to circumvent the lack of app trials on the App Store. For example, a developer may make an app free to download, but require an in-app purchase to unlock the app’s full functionality. The new ‘Get’ labels seem to address such a use case where previously ‘Free’ could be misleading.
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced earlier this year that the company had settled with the Federal Trade Commission over a dispute involving in-app purchases, although he insisted “the consent decree the FTC proposed does not require us to do anything we weren’t already going to do.”
A class action lawsuit in which Apple settled during 2013 previously lead to the company to add an “offers in-app purchases” label to apps on the App Store that offer paid content within the app. Apple previously agreed to offer credit or refunds to customers as part of the class action lawsuit.
While ‘Free’ apps are now labeled with a ‘Get’ button for downloading, paid apps continue to list the price for purchasing the app, and previously downloaded apps display the cloud icon.
With apps like the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game reportedly expected to earn $200 million from in-app purchases, the change from ‘Free’ to ‘Get’ makes sense (although personally I think ‘Get’ may be a strong word).
The change is also being reported by App Store users in other countries with various translations of the change.
Free apps on the Mac App Store also now reflect the label change with new ‘Get’ buttons. (That’s a lot of ‘Get’.)
https://twitter.com/tapbot_paul/status/535141856196046848
Update: It appears Apple is continuing to experiment with how it is presenting FREE/GET on the App Store. Rather than presenting either ‘Free’ or ‘Get’ below a non-paid app on a screen without a download button, Apple is now opting to leave that space without any label (including free) while paid apps continue to list price. Non-paid upfront apps continue to show ‘Get’ for the actual download button. You can view yesterday’s approach in the screenshots above and the latest change in the screenshots below.
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I’m still puzzled how people do not understand what an in-app purchase is and what it means financially. To me “Get” is more confusing because it doesn’t explain that the app itself is free and that I (to a certain extent) own it but need to spend real money if I want it to do certain things once I start using it.
Considering they reside in the “free” tab this likely only serves to make things more confusing
And the fact that once you press “GET” the option then says “BUY”. And I was just asked to put in mt CCV code after I pressed BUY to get a FREE app!
It says ‘Download’ in the Russian Store.
This just doesn’t make any sense. It’s like sticking your finger up your ass to hide a cut.
Mark 100% free apps as FREE. Mark in-app purchase apps as $Pay-Later. Done.
Better yet, I’d prefer all entertainment apps be restricted from containing in-app purchases for in-game currencies or treasures. Only allow in-app purchases for completely brand new content, like another 20 levels, etc.
Horrible unrealistic idea.
It’s people who should get smarter, not developers. We’re smart enough :p
Bruno’s proposal for only allowing IAPs with permanent content or functionality is not about developers or users being smart or not. It’s about eliminating those shameless developers who design around a business model, never resulting in the highest quality apps.
All of freemium apps with consumable IAP’s are crappy, bloated apps designed to never make te user feel entirely happy for maximising temporarily satisfactory boosts through IAPs. This isn’t the quality of apps developers (or anybody else) would want to use themselves if there were better alternatives. I can’t think of a single app with consumable IAPs that is actually great.
On the other hand, free/paid apps with or without non-consumable IAPs (or even subscriptions in some cases) are of noticeably higher quality on average and provide all the productivity, creativity and entertainment we could wish for.
I still think that sites like TouchArcade and other app review sites should add a ‘freemium/premium’ meter to give potential users an idea of how useful or enjoyable an app or game will actually be before an in-App Purchase is required.
With their revenue models exposed and their customer base becomes more wary, maybe some of these greedy developers (more like dev companies, not the indie devs) will have to change their tune.
That is only going to lead to more confusion.
I don’t get it … why Apple would even replace FREE with GET. Makes no sense. Get Free. The App Store pretty much has an app for anything, so you “get” (in colloquial terms) the app you need. Whether, paid, freemium or free.
Above comment was stripped from the not equal symbol I had placed between “Get” and “Free”.
Ha, that’s annoying.
This is so F#$king stupid… I’m so sick of how Apple (and others) have to cater to the dumbest dipshit consumers out there because otherwise the damn tech blogs pick up every nonsense story as clickbait. The internet is starting to be a problem in this regard. The apps were and are still FREE!! Just because there are EXTRA things you can buy does not make them not be FREE to download and use/play. Now it says GET everywhere and that looks absolutely stupid. So now, the morons who caused this problem in the first place are going to be same morons who complain that nothing is free on the App Store. Apple needs to stop giving in to stupidity.
At least they could have come up with something better than GET. GET doesn’t tell you that it is in fact FREE still (which is fucking is). They could do FREE+ and just put an explanation someplace which pops up first time you enter the app store after an update. You have to click a button which says “I understand” to continue.
That’s awful. It doesn’t make any sense and they shouldn’t have to ‘fix’ things for idiots.
Idiots are Apple’s customer base.
Says the one who is universally known to be an idiot.
I like many others still don’t understand how people don’t get the freemium/in-app purchase model. Normally I don’t say this but it seems like this is just a bunch of people “crying victim” to get some cash out of Apple.
Putting “Get” is even more confusing cause now you don’t know if it’s free or freemium. Using the word “get” seems intentional cause it does two things. It protects Apple from further litigation and at the same time is confusing to get people continue to download apps.
the best solution is to have three labels. the price for paid apps…”Free” for 100% free apps…and “Free +” or “Free Plus” for freemium apps.
Remember Scot Forstall during WWDC 2009 saying “Free apps remain free”? These were better times for apps. The average quality was at an all time high.
Perhaps the UK can help with the correct verbage. They are so much smarter when it comes to English. Unapologitecly free!
People are so stupid! It clearly states whether or not an app has IAPs!
“Get” confused the hell outa me, thought I was paying for an app without the price being very obvious, like scammers do.
As 2 people mentioned above, the solution is SO simple…3 options: label the price for paid, free, and free+…this new system will get Apple sued again indefinitely.
Yet they still request a credit card
Unable to download apps when I get the word “Get”. Pls. tell me how to download.
Why is this so difficult to address and fix? Why can’t a color code be established? Green = Free (You pay nothing – EVER), Yellow =( In app purchases), Red = you buy the app. SIMPLE. Just let the customer know upfront what they are getting. No need to slide purchases in through the back door, or fool people.