CODEWITHSUNDEEP
iphoneiosapp-storein-app-purchase
Old McStopher
Old McStopher

Reputation: 6349

From Paid to FREE w/IAP: Preventing double-charging

This is a conceptual workflow problem. I'm converting an app with an existing user base from Paid to Free with an in-app purchase (FWIAP) to remove ads. The problem I'm trying to avoid is having the existing paid customers updating the app and now suddenly seeing ads and being insulted/assaulted with the "option" to pay again to remove the ads they never bought in the first place.

Luckily, I do have some breadcrumbs in the form of persistent data (pData) that will indicate whether the app was already installed. So my thought is to have the new version check for existing installs before deciding whether to proceed with displaying the ads.

One problem I foresee is later updates then considering all those first-generation users as now eligible for ads again, so I'd have to then add another persistent flag (pFlag) to identify the two groups of users and then hope to remember for even later updates (i.e. third-gen., etc.) to check against the pFlag instead of the pData, as the pData values would have long changed by then.

Does this seem like a sound approach or is there another good known solution to this?

Upvotes: 4

Views: 542

Answers (3)

Bobjt
Bobjt

Reputation: 4100

The paid to free-with-inapp-purchase workflow is supported; it’s referred to as paid-to-fremium and is discussed in the 2013 WWDC video:

Using Receipts to Protect Your Digital Sales https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2013/308/

Upvotes: 0

Christopher Pickslay
Christopher Pickslay

Reputation: 17772

I don't think you'll ever be able to support cases where someone has bought the paid version and installs it directly from the app store on a new device or a device where the app has been deleted.

We recently had this problem in the opposite direction. We have a FWIAP app that customers wanted to be able to purchase through the volume purchase program, which doesn't apply to IAP. So we built a paid version and sell it as a separate app, and it generates as many sales as the FWIAP version, basically doubling revenues (so far).

I think the simplest approach is to just release a separate app. If you convert the existing app, the biggest risk is negative reviews, which could drive down your star ratings and thus downloads. So if you do take that route, I'd have as generous a customer support policy as possible--give anyone who claims to have purchased the paid version a code that lets them unlock the FWIAP version.

But that's likely to be a headache in the future, and from my limited experience, you may make more money by just having both versions in the store.

Upvotes: 2

hotpaw2
hotpaw2

Reputation: 70733

The problem with breadcrumb schemes is with users who upgrade, or have to get a replacement device, and don't have backups to restore from. When they re-download your app, there will be no breadcrumb.

Upvotes: 2

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