Once Again, Apple Isn't Following Its Own Advertising Rules (theverge.com) 44
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.
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Business class of 2018: lie, lie, and don't get caught
Business class of 2019: lie, lie, lie and don't get caught
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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.
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IThese people stopped caring if they got caught a century ago or more
FTFY
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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.
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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
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That's like saying the dump I took today is better than the one I took yesterday.
They do the same shit with iCloud (Score:1)
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.
Re: They do the same shit with iCloud (Score:2)
Mixing payment confirmation with nag messages is pretty much the definition of a dark pattern. Most of us don't have as much time on our hands as it appears you do, to read every message unilaterally and rudely sent to us.
Re: I don't trust Apple (Score:2)
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.
"free" trial (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: "free" trial (Score:5, Interesting)
Just use an empty Visa/MC gift card that still had an unexpired date. I'm always getting them from rebates and crap, so I always keep the numbers from an unexpired one handy just for stuff like this.
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Same here. But I generally regard this as a feature, not a bug. If they need your payment details just to give you a taste, the taste is almost certainly bitter in the end.
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If they need your payment details just to give you a taste, the taste is almost certainly bitter in the end.
Exactly!
misleading article and flame bait (Score:1)
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.
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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.
"Free trials" with payment required are not free (Score:4, Informative)
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.
Seems they comply (Score:3, Informative)
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
Dark Patterns (Score:1)
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.
makes an really good case to kill app store lockin (Score:2)
makes an really good case to kill app store lock-in. In the EU that may lead to some big smack down.
Scam artististry will lose customers (Score:2)
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?