This will be a poorly worded post since I’m typing on mobile.

I’m so tired of subscriptions. There’s already so many bills to pay, I don’t want to think about my phone having a dozen micro-bills.

All of the top apps in the iOS app store, mostly excluding Google and Microsoft, have subscription pricing. (And now Outlook requires a subscription to remove ads.)

Note taking app? Subscription. Reminders app? Subscription. An app with exactly one function and hasn’t been updated in months? Subscription.

It seems that the idea of one-time purchasing has all but died on iOS. The last one-time purchase I’ve ever made for an app on that platform is Apollo (RIP). After that, I just stuck with Apple’s default offerings (Mail, Calendar, Notes etc). However decent those apps may be, they’re stuck to the Apple ecosystem.

On a whim I wanted to try out the Pixel 7.

I discovered: Cinexplore, Feeder, Moshidon, Oto Music, and many more, of course.

So many quality apps that are either free or offer a one-time purchase. I used them for a bit and either paid the one-time purchase or donated if it was free.

And side-loading is the cherry on top. Having an open platform and more competition gives me a choice. It’s refreshing and helps reduce the mental burden of subscriptions.

  • @[email protected]English
    14•1 year ago

    Hi, app developer here.

    I know that subscriptions are frustrating but it’s the only way to be on business this days.

    For instance, let’s say that you purchase a one-time fee that grants you lifetime access. 5 years after that you will continue to receive new features, new OSs adjustments to keep the app working, security patches, and changes to comply with store policies (which are becoming more and more strict every year btw).

    Unfortunately it’s impossible to be financially sustainable in the long term with one-time purchases only…

    What I do is to try to keep the prices as lower as possible, arround 10-20$ per year, of which I receive less than half of it after taxes and store fees.

    Even doing that is nearly impossible to survive, I don’t really know how much time I will be able to be full time doing this :/

    • @[email protected]English
      8•1 year ago

      Market is oversaturated with offering. There’s an ongoing overproduction crisis. Competition on price leads to diminishing margins, which leads to unsustainable small business, which leads to capital concentration and oligopoly. This tendency is the same across all sectors in late state capitalism. Many people won’t be able to make a living from their work anymore.

      That said I heard some small developers choose to work only on iOS because there are more clients willing to pay for apps in that ecosystem. Google focus on ad-based revenue created a sort of “everything for free” culture on android wich makes very difficult to sell quality apps there, at the same time their store is filled with low quality ad filled apps and microtransaction “games”.

      (I’m an android user, never had any apple device and I don’t plan to, but I think their business model is somehow healthier.)

      • @[email protected]English
        2•1 year ago

        Yes, completely true. The Apple ecosystem is profitable for an app developer. iOS users are more likely to pay for purchases and subscriptions, making it easier to make a living on Apple’s AppStore.

        Also, Apple tends to treat developers much better than Google, which makes the AppStore the ideal place for an app developer who wants to make a living this way.

    • @[email protected]English
      3•1 year ago

      Maybe so, but it’s why I love android. Knowing that if I need a simple app I can go to F-droid to pick up a Foss alternative was so convenient.

      Just finding a basic calculator app that didn’t have ads or subscription was a pain for my iPad that I had to use a search engine to locate one. Apple store just have terrible filtering options for their apps. Seems like everything on there is filled with ads or a paid subscription. Surprisingly rare to find apps I could just buy for the types I was interested in.

      Using apple it felt like users pay because they are hostage to the ecosystem of the app store and have so few alternatives, and apple intentionally makes it hard to find out the monetization of apps until you actually install and launch the app.

      If Apple were a game company they remind me of a EA with fifa charging for full price annually and throwing in a bunch of microtrasnactions on top of it. Was pretty surprising going to Apple after hearing how much better the apps are, and then encountering monetization approaches. It’s like everything there is going the route of Adobe.

    • @nexusEnglish
      1•1 year ago

      Or maybe you’re just not competitive as an app developer.