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[Merged] Trial Periods For Apps From The iPhone/iPod Apps Store

iPhone apps - reasonable trial period

  • Total voters
    157
  • Poll closed .
I'm thinking that there would be trial versions in the future. Buying an application solely on a review doesn't cut it for most people, especially because there is no refund policy.
 
There are a ton of videos of Apps on YouTube now. It's a good way to check out an App before buying.
 
Win some, Lose some

Most apps I have paid for and downloaded are good apps that I am satisfied with

But, 2 apps really are terrible that I paid for and I would do anything to turn back that clock.
 
I really hope they add trial versions in the future because its really needed. For example, I would like to get an app to track my mileage and calculate my average MPG for me and there are like 5 apps that do that but I'm not sure which to buy.
 
Vaphoron said:
I really hope they add trial versions in the future because its really needed. For example, I would like to get an app to track my mileage and calculate my average MPG for me and there are like 5 apps that do that but I'm not sure which to buy.
Click to expand...

There aren't any free ones? Wow. Time for me to crank up the coding skills over the weekend... :p (I reckon about 2 hours to write an app like that, maybe 3 or 4 because I'm not that familiar with cocoa).
 
I went into the apple store today, and the games on the demo iphones, had "demo" versions of the games? Im guessing the demo versions would be free so I wonder if these are available to us. The games were CroMag and that Water Dropplets game
 
iPhone Apps - 1 day TRIAL VERSIONS, please.

I'm thinking that the iPhone apps should provide a 1 day trial. especially for the more expensive ones.

there are a bunch I'd like to try and would certainly buy if interested but... many I may NOT buy because I can't evaluate them.

Anybody else think so?


Cheers, Mike
 
14 Days.

Thats just enough time to evaluate whether I want a reasonably quality application.

We all know Apple can implement this.

I mean look at iTunes Movie rentals. Expiration files. :cool:

R-Fly
 
I voted for one day, but think a 2-3 day trial would be more reasonable. It is tough trying to evaluate them, but I look at screenshots, read the reviews, and visit the developer's website as part of my evaluation process.
 
I would say 3 days to a week because people are very busy and can't always get to things right away. It should also start after the app is first launched on the device not from the point when it was synced.
 
We don't even need trails at this point but trailers for the games, like with the movies section.

Some games screen shots don't tell the story of the game. Like with De Blob it looks boring with the screens but the game is actually fun, I had to wait until Touch Arcade posted a video of the game before I bought it.
 
why not trials?

everyone uses things differently.

some programs may not live up to their promotion. trials will make for better software IMHO.



mattmccarty said:
We don't even need trails at this point but trailers for the games, like with the movies section.

Some games screen shots don't tell the story of the game. Like with De Blob it looks boring with the screens but the game is actually fun, I had to wait until Touch Arcade posted a video of the game before I bought it.
Click to expand...
 
I am not saying trails wouldn't be great it would just be quicker for the developers to at least post a video of the app.


Plus it would probably require an iTunes update to add a trail version, or you could have both the full game and a trail version and flood the app store with duplicates.
 
i think it could be built in by the app store, since it uses your itunes ID to load/manage your apps, even the free ones.

seems like there would not need to be 2 versions, just one that would remove/lock after a trial period

DeaconGraves said:
Nothing stopping the developers from creating limited feature demos in the free app store...
Click to expand...
 
A trial would certainly help. You can preview a movie, why not a game or app? At $10 a pop, maybe more, I'd like to try before I buy.
 
One day would certainly be enough in my case.

After one day, you pretty much know if you would like to use it more or if you would never consider buying it.

Some of the screenshots are misleading, don't carry enough information, or the other case, they show of one or two screens of the best app pages, and that is all you're really paying for.


I'd at least like a preview or something. Maybe it could be somehow imbedded into the iTunes Store? It could be one of those little iPhones that developers got in the SDK that you could use.
 
Agreed. It is commonplace to get trial downloads for software. And this is especially needed for this new platform where a lot of the programs are buggy. I have already wasted a lot of money on programs that were either useless or buggy and I had to remove them from my phone.
 
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