Opera Max Turns To Nagware, Now Prompts Users To Re-enable It Every 12 Hours (androidpolice.com)

Opera has long advertised its free VPN service Opera Max to customers. But it looks like, the company isn't pleased with users keeping its servers at work at all times. Over the last few days, according to a report on AndroidPolice, Opera Max has introduced ads on its apps, as well as links to sponsored apps. But the company is not done yet. It now requires a user to go back to the app and "add time" to the free VPN service every 12 hours if they wish to continue the service. Adding time doesn't cost anything, but it will subject users to an ad on each occasion.

Comments

If you don't like it, don't use it or get your own

[StandardCell]

Seriously, this stuff isn't free. It costs real money to run a VPN service and you get a whole day's worth of browsing for the cost of viewing one ad. You can still use the Opera browser without nagware if you don't use the VPN.

Re:Free

[Applehu Akbar]

If something is free, you're not the customer, you're the product.

What a wealth of personal info.

No, in any such arrangement you're trading specific pieces of knowledge about your habits as part or all of a price. Those of us outside the tinfoil community prefer to send Google our search terms as indicators of personal interest over paying the $150/month that the service costs to provide.

Opera.

[ledow]

Opera browser was ad-supported but also pay-for to remove them before - what? - 3.5?

It was removed because it just discouraged users and made only a pittance. In fact, the browser went free and then produced its best and most popular versions. Oh, and they had Opera Turbo which is basically the same VPN thing for all that time.

It's only when the development team was sacked many years later that they threw the browser away, made a similar-looking (but severely lacking) Chrome-clone, and then wondered why everyone disappeared and made old-Opera-clones that they feel the need to ad-support it again in an era where "ads" = things to annoy users with because who cares about them, so long as we get 1/1000th of a penny?

Glad to see that I made the right decision to not continue with Opera past version 12.

Re:Opera.

[Gavagai80]

Objectively, I think the no-ads Opera versions were failures. they gained only a small amount of marketshare while losing a lot of revenue. If it'd bumped Opera to 5-10% marketshare it would've been a clear success, but going from 1% to 1.5% or whatever it was isn't worth giving up the revenue. Later Opera versions were technically more popular yes, because they were free without ads, but they weren't really ahead of the innovation curve for long after that.

Opera was actually the last desktop software I ever purchased, shortly before it went completely free. The browser is where I spend most of my time, so (as a Linux user where my other regular needs are free) it's really the one thing I am willing to pay for if I get a superior experience for my money.

Re:Opera.

[Ksevio]

The ads are only for people using the VPN integrated in it. What browser do you use now?

Re:If you don't like it, don't use it or get your

[Ranbot]

Seriously, this stuff isn't free. It costs real money to run a VPN service and you get a whole day's worth of browsing for the cost of viewing one ad. You can still use the Opera browser without nagware if you don't use the VPN.

When useless mobile apps, like Candy Crush, force users to watch an ad every 2 minutes no one cares. When an optional service with real value shows users an ad once every 12 hours it's nagware. /internet logic

Re:If you don't like it, don't use it or get your

[Gavagai80]

Both are properly called adware. Nagware is shareware that nags you to pay to register it.

Re:If you don't like it, don't use it or get your

[Actually, I do RTFA]

I get the difference. Candy Crush puts interstitial ads up when you take certain actions. Opera lets you schedule your ad anytime you want. But that means that the ad isn't incidental to using the product, you have to go out of your way to select it. Which means that Candy Crush feels like it has ads, whereas Opera feels like you have to opt into using it (and also see an ad.) Opera's way is definitely objectively better for the consumer, but can be spun in a worse way.