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Is "Payment Required" a good label for your freemium app?

mappicus

Any other developers feel that the coming "Payment Required" label is not helpful to users or developers when describing apps with a freemium model where the free version offers a great deal of functionality?

For my apps (dwMap and others) the free versions are fully functional, and are what the majority of users stay with.  I offer a Premium upgrade that enables additional features, but the App Store descriptions stick to the features of the free version.  I am concerned that potential users will be scared-off by the new "Payment Required" label from finding a very useful, free app.

How about three tiers of label: "Free" (no label), "Payment Required", and a third one "Payment Optional"?

I certainly applaud Garmin for providing users with clear labeling on paid products, and for now requiring that payment information be included in the store description, but wonder if this is the right initial step for this labeling.

Mappicus

  • in reply to Juggus

    There's already the concept of "trial apps" in CIQ.

    See developer.garmin.com/.../

  • Thanks for all the feedback and engagement everyone.  Tomorrow, Jan 1, is the day when all apps have to set a value for this flag, so now we can start to see how it plays out.  I am eager to see whether the big corporate apps are held to same standard as we small/hobby developers are.

    Happy New Year!

  • Has anyone surveyed the compliance of the new badging yet?

    Spot-checking, I see that Spotify does not yet have the badge, even though payment is definitely required in order for the Connect IQ app to work.  This surely is not compliant?

    Strava and Komoot also do not have the badge set.  In the case of these, are they failing to comply, or could each be making the case that their Connect IQ app does not require payment for any of its features, even though their connected website and phone apps require payment to unlock certain features?

    Could anyone from Garmin comment on the latter?  ie if a Connect IQ app works the same whether payment is made or not, and paid features only apply on a website or phone app, can we remove the Payment Required badge?

  • I also think that the current approach must be revised.

    Adding more categories could be a solution path. I would be fine with only two categories as well, but with a different label.

    Clearly, the word "payment" doesn't summarize all "paid" possibilities well (freemium, donations, multiple in-app purchases, completely paid, etc.). And, what's worse, it creates an undesired confusion: many people interpret that they have to pay to download (and they freak out because they can't see how much and are afraid we have access to their Garmin Pay account...)

    The instructions given when the user clicks the "i" next to the "payment" label are good. The problem: many users don't read instructions. Developers know it well.

    So, please Garmin, listen to us Pray

    PS: shouldn't the Spotify app display the payment label? (Based on support.spotify.com/.../)