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Once Again, Apple Isn't Following Its Own Advertising Rules (theverge.com)
Apple News Plus, the company's new magazine (and news) subscription service, is the latest offender because of how easy Apple makes it to subscribe. From a report: Just tap that "Try it Free" button, confirm your payment, and you're off to the races. Thing is, Apple forbids developers from making things seem quite this simple. Typically, Apple protects users from recurring fees by requiring developers to make those numbers so large on the screen that it's painfully obvious what you're getting into, how often you'll pay, and how to cancel if you decide you're not interested anymore. Here are some screenshots from Apple's dev website so you can see just how crystal-clear the developer "guidelines" are. For whatever reason, Apple decided that a cleaner, more attractive layout, one that hides some of the information it asks of developers, was the right choice for Apple News Plus.
Business class of 2017: lie and don't get caught,
...
Business class of 2018: lie, lie, and don't get caught
Business class of 2019: lie, lie, lie and don't get caught
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
I "accidentally" signed up for that shit on my iPhone while trying to dismiss a nag screen. Sad to see Apple incorporating "dark patterns" into their much ballyhooed interface design. Maybe Tim Cook should go.
I don't sign up to free trials that want payment details in advance, so generally I don't get free trials.
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
at least microsoft allow you to make money. if you get a successful app on an apple platform they will release their own competitor and then kick you off for competing with them.
I signed up for the trail, and was adequately warned that it was a paid subscription, when it would kick in, and how to cancel. Many third party developers do not do this, which is why Apple makes it very clear how to warn customers. Apple isn't in the business of scamming people unlike some third party app developers, so yes, the burden of proof is a bit higher on the third party dev side than it is on Apple's side. Stop bitching.
It's obvious you've never been to business class. These people stopped caring if they got caught a decade ago or more. It's now lie, lie, lie, employ enough lawyers and politicians to deal with any consequences, lie, lie, lie some more.
Business class of 2020: Lie, lie, lie, don't worry about getting caught, we've noticed it has no impact on sales. Apparently people expect to be lied to by everyone anyway, so they don't care if you do it.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
That's like saying the dump I took today is better than the one I took yesterday.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Any "free trials" that want your payment details in advance are not free trials, they're a subscription waiting to bite you in the ass. And since Apple pretty much has your payment details already as soon as you are one of their victims, there is no such thing as a free trial from Apple, period.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
It is obvious that you never been to business class either.
At least not the same classes I went to.
I took my MBA in post Enron, and there was a huge push towards ethics in all the classes.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
So what happens after graduation? because ethics doesn't seem to play any part in the operation of any major company at this point.
This has nothing to do with privacy. This is about price transparency.
It's about how prices are displayed to the user before they sign up for a subscription. Apple requires App Store developers to disclose subscription prices in prominently displayed, plainly written text before the user is ever prompted with the confirmation dialog. In contrast, what Apple itself is doing is showing no pricing info at all until the user reaches the confirmation dialog. The user will still see the amount, but they won't see it until much later than they would in the workflow of any other app in the App Store. And while Apple isn't legally or contractually held to the same standard to which they hold App Store developers, it's a bad look for a company to engage in sliminess that they wouldn't allow of others.
Hopefully they fix the screen in response to the bad PR, because fixing it is the right thing to do, but we'll see what happens.
While i dislike apple, reading their actual requirements, it seems their own app does fulfill those:
Include the following in the app description and in your app’s signup screen:
o Subscription name, duration, and the content or services provided during each subscription period
o The following information about how users are charged and can manage the subscription:
oo Payments are charged to the user’s Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase.
oo Subscriptions automatically renew unless the user cancels at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
oo The account is charged for renewal within 24-hours before the end of the current period.
oo Users can manage and cancel subscriptions in their account settings on the App Store.
o A link to your app’s Terms of Use
Why would nerds—Apple fanboys or not—sign up? We already have RSS clients configured to our tastes and preferences. I see no reason to pay a middleman $10/mo. for a small subset of the things that I can already get for free, just as easily, directly from the source.
Business is just trying to catch up with celebrities and government officials...
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
Both Apple and Google continue to follow dark patterns to trick the user into subscribing for their shitty services. Nearly everytime I start up youtube or itunes on my phone, I get the nagscreen popup for itunes radio or YT "premium" that does not have the "No, and don't ask me ever again" option.
IThese people stopped caring if they got caught a century ago or more
FTFY
makes an really good case to kill app store lock-in. In the EU that may lead to some big smack down.
Seriously Apple, think about this. You are the richest company around. Do you need to become a shifty, lying cheat to survive? Do you think your reputation might get smeared a little, which will tank your business?