Deleting and relaunching an app

[psj3809]

I presumed all the apps were backed up on the users PC ? Eg MAME i managed to download last year when it hit the app store for 2 days, obviously was quickly deleted but as i have it on my PC i can install it on any device i want (And installed it the other week on my new ipad).

Like you say there is often a reason behind it. But just backup your apps, trying to get a refund seems a bit harsh

[SiXX]

Isn't it better to just change the icon, screenshots, and the name of the app? Apple allows that once per update. It's easier and will save your time to approval. Unless, if A LOT OF bad review is the case...

[psj3809]

Must admit its a bit of a con if its simply a case of 'didnt sell well, add a new name/icon' and relaunch.

To me i dont care if the icon/name are terrible, its all about the game, if the games good it can be called whatever it wants.

Have a look at your game and perhaps add more features or even contact people in the games thread here for it (If there is a thread) and speak to some of your customers and see what they didnt like about it.

Simply putting on a new coat of paint and relaunching might not be enough and might have the same results ?

[MarkFromBitmenStudios]

I think the original poster's app is not about a game IIRC but a business card share service via QR codes. He was hoping to get another chance into new & noteworthy via a relaunch which he seems to have very high on his marketing plan.

Anyway, like I already said in the other thread, deleting and relaunching means your original customers now have abandonware that won't be adapted if, say, it won't run on iOS 7 or the iPhone 6 or any bugs are discovered. That is really frowned upon and for a reason.

I can almost guarantee that a relaunch won't change anything to your sales. Your problem is bootstrapping that service and the associated hen-and-egg problem. A relaunch won't help and only annoy people. Anyway, at the end of the day, it's your call.

[mr.Ugly]

it is not abandonware if he removes it.. it would be if he would let it stay in the store without taking care of it..

by removing a product no new customer can buy a product that won't be updated, bugfixed whatever..

then of course the customer of the original product has no gurantee that any updated etc. would happen for a live app either.. you buy an app with its current featureset and have entitlement for continued support from a developer if the app works as advertised.

if you buy an app now you buy it within a given spec and arguing that the app might not work in a year or two when new software or hardware arrives is a pretty week argument.

The "one dollar entitlement" syndrom is pretty widespread in this forum.

in the OPs case he can choose himself how he wants to treat his handfull of customers.. but there is surely nothing wrong by removing an app from the store if it makes sense to the developer.

in the end thousands of apps are getting removed on a daily base due to the fact that alot of small devs who do not make any earnings don't continue their dev account with apple..

if you have an app you want to keep , make an backup.. its easy.

[chris1a]

Originally Posted by mr.Ugly

why should anyone be pissed about or ask for a refund?

if a dev pulls his app from the store due to whatever reasons his former customers still have it on their device?

its not like the dev deletes it from your device or your itunes library?

if you buy a book and throw it away you don't go back into the store to ask for a new copy and if its out of print ask for a refund?!

you paid money for an app at the time of purchase. thats it.. and when i see how much fuss some people make about a dollar.. i ask myself if that time would be not worth spent elsewhere..

a developer does not pull his app just for the fun of it.. there is a reason behind it.. and this reasons is most likely more important than a dollar or two.

Wow lol @ you, are you a dev maybe? When a dev puts up a product for sale he/she takes on a responsibility (google it) to have that product available for the customer to download after a payment has been made. This ain't a friggin bookstore, it's the Internets with ones and zeros and all that. It works in a totally different way, seriously c'mon? Only an appstore dev can rationalize arguments like its up to the customer to keep their apps on their idevices at all times etc.

But how long is a dev supposed to keep his apps available on the AppStore, and maybe even support for the apps? I dunno...I bought an app called Auria which I paid well over $150 for. I fully expect this dev to keep their shit available AND fully supported for a few years, not into the next millennia but still. Your typical $0.99 stuff at least more then a few months eh? I would call it a scam, con whatever if a dev puts it up racks in some dough and removes it.

[mr.Ugly]

what you expect is your own "problem" as harsh as it sounds

here straight from the app store terms and conditions

http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/

LICENSED APPLICATION END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT 

e. NO WARRANTY: YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT USE OF THE LICENSED APPLICATION IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND THAT THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO SATISFACTORY QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY, AND EFFORT IS WITH YOU. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE LICENSED APPLICATION AND ANY SERVICES PERFORMED OR PROVIDED BY THE LICENSED APPLICATION ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND “AS AVAILABLE”, WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, AND LICENSOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE LICENSED APPLICATION AND ANY SERVICES, EITHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND/OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OF ACCURACY, OF QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND OF NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS. LICENSOR DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE LICENSED APPLICATION, THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN OR SERVICES PERFORMED OR PROVIDED BY THE LICENSED APPLICATION WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT THE OPERATION OF THE LICENSED APPLICATION OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT DEFECTS IN THE LICENSED APPLICATION OR SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY LICENSOR OR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. SHOULD THE LICENSED APPLICATION OR SERVICES PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIMITATIONS ON APPLICABLE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A CONSUMER, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

no warranty, as is, as avaiable etc. etc. i doubt you or the majority of app store users ever took the time to read the license agreement they agreed to..
but each developer should know what he is getting into.

in the end if the OP thinks his plans will be fruitfull and earn him at least some dollars instead of nothing.. then he is free todo so..

the point is developer support products who generate income. you rarely find a developer who services "dead" apps who do not generate any income.

so the more popular the app and the more money it makes the more a dev can spend into support to keep the money flowing.. but if there is no money flowing why on earth should you service a dead product.

as a customer one needs to be realistic here and stop expecting unrealistic stuff.. but then what do you expect from a crowd who moans about 1,99 titles and get into catfights about greedy developers and whatnot..

its some really twisted perspective alot of people look at things.. too much entitlement especially for 99cents products..

again.. if a dev makes the next million doallar hit he will be thrilled to support his product to make more money.. but thoose who make red numbers surely could care less about the 3 customers worldwide who bought their app.

of course its crappy for a customer if something gets pulled, but its not the end of the world and you can backup your stuff and a working app won't stop working with the hard and software you bought it..

the thing is most people won't never notice you app was removed from sale nor care about it.. how often does the average user delete and redownloads apps?

again this fine community does not represent the mass out there who pushes billions of dollars into the appstore.. this community is more "core" and alot more vocal and also more picky in general than the majority out there..

maybe next time if an dev updates his app with new content and stuff for free you think about the terms you licensed the software under and what you are exactly entitled to...(not much) and thank him ALOT.. for his continued support and send him some (virtual) flowers.

like i said this one dollar entitlement syndrom is widespread.

cheers guys

[chris1a]

But that's nothing new tho Apple/companies trying to protect their backs with shady "license agreements". Anyway every time you take a dump on your customers by removing an app a kitten dies, and you know it. Kitten killer.

[Connector]

Originally Posted by mr.Ugly

why should anyone be pissed about or ask for a refund?

if a dev pulls his app from the store due to whatever reasons his former customers still have it on their device?

its not like the dev deletes it from your device or your itunes library?

if you buy a book and throw it away you don't go back into the store to ask for a new copy and if its out of print ask for a refund?!

you paid money for an app at the time of purchase. thats it.. and when i see how much fuss some people make about a dollar.. i ask myself if that time would be not worth spent elsewhere..

a developer does not pull his app just for the fun of it.. there is a reason behind it.. and this reasons is most likely more important than a dollar or two.

But it is gone from my itunes library. Many files nowadays you have to delete on a temporary basis to save disk space. So yes, it is still on there until you delete. But if you didn't have it on, you can never play again.

So yes, I feel fully justified on DEMANDING a refund cause in my eyes this is developer theft, plain and simple.

Sure, a developer can completely pull a game and change the name so you can not ever reload it again, but can you imagine if every developer did this? Then every app would just be a one time purchase with no ability to reload.

Apple has always given me refunds for games that will not completely reload or will not work on my device so I *think* they are on our side. It is in Apple's best interest to keep games reloadable.

Can you imagine the sheer ANGER that customers would have if Angry Birds went from Rovio to Electronic arts and you could never reload it again?

So hell yeah, I am going to demand a refund and go after the devoper's head for stealing my money if they won't give me a refund. You can say all you want that it is the publishers fault, etc, but the developer too has some responsibility for the app too.

Anyway, completely forgot about this issue so I am going to start the Apple refund process now. Any completely pulled unreloadable app, should be refunded in my book. Pulling an app and changing the name just to make some money is a sham, and if you don't think so then I got nothing further to say about it. I know you are a developer and all, but think of it from your gamers point of view. Yeah it is only a buck, but that does not give a developer the right to abusively rip people off.

[Connector]

Responses in [] below:

Originally Posted by mr.Ugly

what you expect is your own "problem" as harsh as it sounds

here straight from the app store terms and conditions

http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/

LICENSED APPLICATION END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT 

e. NO WARRANTY: YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT USE OF THE LICENSED APPLICATION IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND THAT THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO SATISFACTORY QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY, AND EFFORT IS WITH YOU. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE LICENSED APPLICATION AND ANY SERVICES PERFORMED OR PROVIDED BY THE LICENSED APPLICATION ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND “AS AVAILABLE”, WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, AND LICENSOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE LICENSED APPLICATION AND ANY SERVICES, EITHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND/OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OF ACCURACY, OF QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND OF NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS. LICENSOR DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE LICENSED APPLICATION, THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN OR SERVICES PERFORMED OR PROVIDED BY THE LICENSED APPLICATION WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT THE OPERATION OF THE LICENSED APPLICATION OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT DEFECTS IN THE LICENSED APPLICATION OR SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY LICENSOR OR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. SHOULD THE LICENSED APPLICATION OR SERVICES PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIMITATIONS ON APPLICABLE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A CONSUMER, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

[So you are saying that Apple's policy of all sales are final is really true? Then why do they give refunds?]

no warranty, as is, as avaiable etc. etc. i doubt you or the majority of app store users ever took the time to read the license agreement they agreed to..
but each developer should know what he is getting into.

[I read through all 52 pages of that crap. So what is your point?]

in the end if the OP thinks his plans will be fruitfull and earn him at least some dollars instead of nothing.. then he is free todo so..

[Well, with that thinking, it is ok for developers to add ads to paid versions, do three day early adopter jacks where they reduce the price 3 days after release, pulling apps, etc. Yes, it is legal, and yes, it makes developers money. But is it ethical?]

the point is developer support products who generate income. you rarely find a developer who services "dead" apps who do not generate any income.

so the more popular the app and the more money it makes the more a dev can spend into support to keep the money flowing.. but if there is no money flowing why on earth should you service a dead product.

as a customer one needs to be realistic here and stop expecting unrealistic stuff.. but then what do you expect from a crowd who moans about 1,99 titles and get into catfights about greedy developers and whatnot..

its some really twisted perspective alot of people look at things.. too much entitlement especially for 99cents products..

again.. if a dev makes the next million doallar hit he will be thrilled to support his product to make more money.. but thoose who make red numbers surely could care less about the 3 customers worldwide who bought their app.

of course its crappy for a customer if something gets pulled, but its not the end of the world and you can backup your stuff and a working app won't stop working with the hard and software you bought it..

the thing is most people won't never notice you app was removed from sale nor care about it.. how often does the average user delete and redownloads apps?

again this fine community does not represent the mass out there who pushes billions of dollars into the appstore.. this community is more "core" and alot more vocal and also more picky in general than the majority out there..

maybe next time if an dev updates his app with new content and stuff for free you think about the terms you licensed the software under and what you are exactly entitled to...(not much) and thank him ALOT.. for his continued support and send him some (virtual) flowers.

like i said this one dollar entitlement syndrom is widespread.

cheers guys

Well, you keep mentioning a buck, like a consumer has no right to get upset for getting ripped off cause they are cheap or something.

I hope one day, you lose $10,000 and Mitt Romney says to you, don't be cheap, it's just a little betting money. Or something like that.

I really think this thread has NO relationship with 99 cents. You are just using it to make gamers feel cheap, but have some principles man! I would never buy apps from developers that want to shaft us out of their greed... I got principles and will fight for gamers rights, I could care less about that 99 cent entitlement you keep talking about.