Google Is Testing a $4.99 App Subscription Bundle (variety.com) 49
Google has been testing a new app subscription bundle that gives users access to premium apps for one monthly price. From a report: Google Play Pass, as the subscription offering is being called, promises users "all play, no interruptions," according to a promotional graphic unearthed by Android Police. A Google spokesperson confirmed that the company is currently testing the subscription, but declined to comment further. Google Play Pass, at is it being tested right now, costs $4.99 per month, and promises access to "hundreds of premium apps and games without ads, download fees or in-app purchases."
Beta (Score:1)
With this being Google, it'll be Beta and then they'll yank it when you least expect it.
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For sure!
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Sell it to me or GTFO.
Further lowering the app economy (Score:5, Interesting)
How much would any one app in the bundle get in terms of compensation if you used it as part of this bundle? Never mind selling an app for $1, how about $0.01...
Will be interesting to see what kinds of apps they have on board and who has chosen to join in. Seems like it would be mostly garbage apps.
Re:Further lowering the app economy (Score:4, Insightful)
How much would any one app in the bundle get in terms of compensation if you used it as part of this bundle? Never mind selling an app for $1, how about $0.01...
Will be interesting to see what kinds of apps they have on board and who has chosen to join in. Seems like it would be mostly garbage apps.
I wouldn't mind getting $0.01 from 100 million people.
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Realistically how many apps would the average person keep at one time? 10-20? In that case each would get 25-50 cents per month minus google's fee.
Realistically they will load up their phones to the maximum extent possible. It's like any all-you-can-eat plan. There's no incentive to be choosy, and the only reason to delete anything is to free up space for more crap.
It's the whole vhs tapes thing over again - people kept shows on tape for decades because they will "eventually " get around to watching them, rather than taping over old shows. Same thing with Suprnova - most of the stuff torrented was probably never watched because there was always some
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How much would any one app in the bundle get in terms of compensation if you used it as part of this bundle? Never mind selling an app for $1, how about $0.01...
Per user, per month?
That could add up quickly.
Inflationary sign of the times (Score:2)
The true iap abusers won’t use this (Score:2)
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Subscription Bundle? (Score:2)
So we're going with renting apps now instead of purchasing them? If I drop out of the subscription, do I also loose the apps I "paid for" in the previous month(s) rental fee?
Sorry Google, no thank you. I'm fucked enough with monthly subscriptions as it is, I don't need another.
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Smells like "Game Pass" or "PS Now" Keep paying, and we'll let you "rent" games. Or specifically "this game is free without ads until you cancel your service"....
At some point all these subscriptions will have to hit a critical mass and fall out to a few prominent ones... it's getting ridiculous with streaming and whatnot...
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If you drop your subscription, do those apps lose access to the data they slurped from you?
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Well, you certainly don't tighten them.
What exactly are your rights here? (Score:3)
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Do you get to keep the apps if you end the subscription (or indeed the subscription service itself ceases to operate in the future?) I think we know how this goes, if you participate, you're spending $60 a year on a rug that will one day be pulled out from under you.
When your physical rug has been used so much it has dog pee stains on it and holes worn into it from walking on it you don't get any money back when you throw it out.
For me, I spend less than $60 a year on buying apps, so it's a big NO from me. However, if you're someone who regulary buys premium apps and games and they appear on the list for "free", then it might make sense even if you don't keep them if you cancel your subscription.
If you're buying $60 worth of apps in a year there's a good chance a lot
Short answer: No (Score:2)
No. Just No.
I've pulled away from dependence on Microsoft, and have been pulling away from dependence on Apple and Google lately, too. I'm done with these companies taking what would otherwise be great software, polluting it with unwanted feature "enhancements", privacy invasion, spyware/telemetry, and - once we become dependent on it - a sudden removal of "free" and a pricetag or rental fee.
FU Google.
A better subscription model (Score:3)
would be a pay to remove apps especially the ones that come with the phone, and can't be deleted.
Or how about a security service that actually monitored your data leaking out of every "free" app, and then could automatically block it from talking to all of the AWS or BookFace data collection servers. Or could block the installation of "evil" apps (both from the play store and 3rd party installs)
I do have a firewall service installed.
I don't think I've ever bought an app, or book, or movie, or magazine from the play store, I have been using android phones since they first became available (TMO G1)
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bobstreo confessed:
I don't think I've ever bought an app, or book, or movie, or magazine from the play store, I have been using android phones since they first became available (TMO G1)
I've bought exactly two: Monument Valley and BusyBox Pro.
Both were purchased on the Play Store Family Plan, so both my wife and I installed them for the single-user cost.
BusyBox Pro is well worth the price, and Monument Valley is entertaining enough that I didn't mind paying for it - and it was on sale when I bought it, so ... profit!
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I used to use and recommend ES File Explorer. I stopped when they introduced full-screen ads (in the free version) which pop up on their own outside the app. Which led to support calls from others wondering what is this rogue app that is suddenly taking over their phone.
I know the paid version probably doesn't have these ads. It doesn't matter. I can't trust an app developer who would pull obnoxious stunts like that, especially for something like a root-capable file manager that by its nature requires fairl
The app gold rush is over (Score:2)
If Google credited me $5 that I could use in their app store, I don't know what I would buy with it. The days of being excited for apps are long gone for me.
I have a core set that I've settled on and am not really interested in trying every new thing anymore.
So if I'm paying Google for an app (Score:2)
Do they then guarantee that none of my data will be collected or used as part of their telemetry?
Basically "pay for no ads", good (Score:2)
Similar to YouTube Red/Premium. You get no ads and a few extras in exchange for your money.
I consider it a good thing. That's another alternative to ads.
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No but the idea will be, I think, that app developers will be able to offer a choice between :
- free, ad supported (any ad network or type of ad)
- paid via play store, dev gets 70% of the what the customer paid
- paid via premium subscription, dev get a share of the subscription. Something like total subscription revenue / total installs of all "premium" apps * installs of your app * (1 - Google share)
- others
There is now an other option that doesn't involves ads.
Software development is a joke (Score:2)
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IT people are the custodians of computers. The data janitors. They are a far cry from being 'developers.' There has always been a big need for computer operators, the title to describe the job has just changed over time.