Jailbroken iPhone users getting locked out of the App Store

[Skele]

Piracy is a thing we need to face. Jailbroken or not those who want to use pirated will find one way or another to use software's for free.

But developers too need to understand that, each user's have different preferences. The software I like might not be appreciated by another. So give the user a chance to try out the software for a few days and then let the customer decide to buy it or not. In iOS app, most of the paid ones do not have any option for a trial period. and I'm not planning to spend money for a software, which I might find not upto my liking. So in this case I'll download a pirated one and use it for a few days and buy it, if I like it. But the negative part of this is after using it for free some people might not just buy it, when it's a fully cracked pirate one. So again, it's up to the App Developers to give a few days trial period to the prospective buyer and see if he likes it and buy's it.

I have downloaded 2 pirated software's and used it for a few days. I liked the same and so removed the pirated one and purchased the original ones from apps store. One is Datausage Pro for $1.99 and the other one is TomTom for $99.99. I'll never buy the navigation software for that much value, just to try it out and see. Once paid, I get the benefit to update whenever there is a update from the apps developer.

Also, Apps-developers need to understand, iPhone users are all around the world, not just in USA. So when an app's is free in US users, it needs to be free for users all around the world. I have seen a few soft-wares which is available to US users but not to users in other countries.


Now testing out a few cookery apps, which too, if I like I'll pay for.

 

[Timhewitt]

Apple does not support a trial period for software in the App store. You can carefully limit features, but even that has to be carefully managed if you are going to have a free version and a paid version or in app purchases to extend capabilities.

Trial periods are something developers have been asking for forever.

 

[Eileen89]

I wont be baited into discussing who we are or what our apps are, and whether or not you chose to believe me is up to you.

I have posted before that it's against company policy for any of our employees to identify our company or apps in online forums.

Since blocking jail breakers, our support costs are down and both revenue and profits are up. Since we have also blocked pirates at the same time, revenue for even those early apps that we no longer advertise is also up. We routinely monitor for our apps on pirate websites and our current methods have proven to be effective in blocking the illegal redistribution of our software as well.

It's a data point, from a real development house whose full time business is app development.

You can dismiss it or not, that's up to you.

I'm sorry but I am having a hard time understanding just how my Jailbreaking my device has anything to do with app developers when I do PAY for their apps just as all the non-Jailbreakers do. I could be wrong here but I think most people like myself jailbreak their iDevices to allow the customization that Apple does not, and not to steal from developers. I'm pretty sure the xCon app can bypass any way that the developers have at detecting my jailbroken device, so no worries for me at this point.

And what I said about Apple is they will continue to block the security holes that allow jail breaking in the first place, and it would not surprise me to see them eventually prevent jail broken devices from participating in the iUniverse. For those of you who don't get that, that would mean blocking access to iTunes and iCloud at a minimum. They could chose to disable your iOS device altogether if it's jail broken, but I doubt they will ever take that step since its not illegal to jail break and that might get them into legal trouble.

Apple can continue with all of these childish practices all they want as that is their right. However, the day they successfully block a device that I purchaced from them to buy their own apps, will be the day I sell ALL off my Apple devices and go to their competitors. While I do use an iPhone and iPad, I'm not in the mind set that Apple is the best out there and have no problem going elsewhere if I am forced to.

 

[ModeratorOMD]

I wont be baited into discussing who we are or what our apps are, and whether or not you chose to believe me is up to you.

I have posted before that it's against company policy for any of our employees to identify our company or apps in online forums.

Since blocking jail breakers, our support costs are down and both revenue and profits are up. Since we have also blocked pirates at the same time, revenue for even those early apps that we no longer advertise is also up. We routinely monitor for our apps on pirate websites and our current methods have proven to be effective in blocking the illegal redistribution of our software as well.

It's a data point, from a real development house whose full time business is app development.

You can dismiss it or not, that's up to you.

And what I said about Apple is they will continue to block the security holes that allow jail breaking in the first place, and it would not surprise me to see them eventually prevent jail broken devices from participating in the iUniverse. For those of you who don't get that, that would mean blocking access to iTunes and iCloud at a minimum. They could chose to disable your iOS device altogether if it's jail broken, but I doubt they will ever take that step since its not illegal to jail break and that might get them into legal trouble.

Nonsense. Everything you said is nonsense.

You said that it is against company policy to talk about anything, yet you've already been talking about it. And what company would this be exactly? We already don't believe you, and now you just don't want to say anything after you've already brought it up.

But I digress...

 

[Skele]

I'm sorry but I am having a hard time understanding just how my Jailbreaking my device has anything to do with app developers when I do PAY for their apps just as all the non-Jailbreakers do. I could be wrong here but I think most people like myself jailbreak their iDevices to allow the customization that Apple does not, and not to steal from developers. I'm pretty sure the xCon app can bypass any way that the developers have at detecting my jailbroken device, so no worries for me at this point.




Apple can continue with all of these childish practices all they want as that is their right. However, the day they successfully block a device that I purchaced from them to buy their own apps, will be the day I sell ALL off my Apple devices and go to their competitors. While I do use an iPhone and iPad, I'm not in the mind set that Apple is the best out there and have no problem going elsewhere if I am forced to.

Same point here. I had purchased some softwares, which I found to be substandard. I had already paid for it and had no option to get back the money. If I had the option to trial it out then I wouldn't have lost the money. Some of the developers won't even answer your mail.

Irish Rose, Apple is now taking the route of the Nokia & BB. These two in their peak time never cared for their customer base. Now Nokia is just a name rather than a major seller in any market. Currently BB has learned the hard way that the customers always have choise, so better keep them happy rather than take a hard ass path.

 

[Alli]

Since this thread has gone from examining the possibilities to attacking the only person attempting to speak to the dev point of view, this thread has obviously run its course.

Thread closed.