Even simple apps nowadays have become subscription only. Whilst I used to pirate most stuff in the past, but if the app in question is a small one time purchase, it’s not bad considering you don’t need to sideload updated apk’s from Mobilism each time a new version is released (looks at some great cheap apps like Pano Scrobbler).
However, the trend has shifted towards the other side with everything from video recording apps(AZ Recorder), Weather apps(Today Weather) and Battery monitoring apps(Battery guru) offering subscriptions. Some have a high one time purchase option but some like the latter don’t.
Battery Guru is an example of enshittification. If phones still came with removable batteries and companies supported them, then for the price of say, a 4 year subscription to the app, I could have just gotten a new replaceable battery. It’s not like the app will magically stop my battery from degrading.
Whilst I have done piracy ( and still pirate stuff like films because no alternative, screw you Netflix), I tried to go the legal route for some apps since then updation and management of them becomes easier. But with the subscription scourge, I doubt devs are going in the right direction.
I kinda disagree on the weather app subscription model.
The API usage cost devs a fair whack depending on the sources they scrape from and while I’ve never used Today Weather, I have used FlowX (formerly WeatherBomb) for ages and the free version has no crap / ads/ nag pages with basic radar models available, but I decided to subscribe since it (besides supporting the dev) gives me high resolution radars for longer time-spans. And since I’m an outdoor worker too I thought it best to be on top of the weather.
But overall I do agree some of the forced “subscribe or ads” model can die in a fire.
I refuse to subscribe to apps. Devs doing so for no good reason get 1 star, and I delete the app.
Screw em.
Now, if an app has a back end, or has to host a resolver (Resilio Sync, Tailscale, etc), or provide other necessary services, that’s different.
Running a business works better if you have a steady flow of income. I don’t blame them for trying.
But I vote with my wallet.
I stick to open source apps more and more, and not only for the lack of subscriptions.
Oh, I get what they’re doing, but I resent their approach.
So many just introduced the subscription to sucker the naive.
I don’t mind paying for software. So let me pay for a major version, and if I want a major update, that costs too. I have so much software where a given version works just fine (FolderSync for example, and Office 2016),that I see no need to upgrade.
I stay away from any subscription like that. It works like credit cart debt: you pile it and in no time you bleed money like no tomorrow.
I understand the need of the Dev for a reasonably guaranteed flow of money, specially for online services, but also keep a software house going cost money.
But I am free to choose where not to put my money.
the offline gps app that I use and absolutely love I initially pirated for my iphone 3, then for my samsung galaxy vibrant and then actually bought and bought extras. I love this app.
then a few years ago they offered more features that I found useful but put them behind a subscription instead of buying them as a premium option as before and I don’t like that. I still get to keep the options I bought, but any future add-ons forces me to subscribe and I’m not doing that.
honestly it might push me to see if it’s possible to to pirate an app I already paid for to get any new features I may find useful.
