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AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

appgratis.com

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Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#51

Post by kevingibbon »

spontaneus wrote: post #33
espadagroup wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pay for exposure already exists within the app store. Large companies pay around $10-$20K a day depending on the category on crap ad networks (won't name them) that incentivize the users to download the companies app in order to "get to the next level" or something like that. The downloads are incredibly cheap and you get thousands and thousands of them. The app store ranking is almost entirely based on download velo…

Facebook just recently started doing this as well. You can now pay to get your app promoted in people's news feed.

Completely different to AppGratis. Facebook allows you to target (based on gender, location, likes, workplace) and advertise your app. Users have no incentive to DL your app and actually have a need for your product.

I've had a lot of success on FB mobile install ads.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#52

Post by ryanSrich »

kevingibbon wrote: post #38

I hate the idea of AppGratis and I'm glad its been removed. Who really benefits? The cheap user who will not normally pay for a high quality app? The app developer who spends $$ to get featured in AppGratis to then artificially climb the app store ranking? Dls are one of the worst vanity metrics out there. Devs should focus on building high quality products, monetize, then acquire quality users in a sustainable manne…

I've used it to try out paid apps that don't have a free option. I'd see a great deal of benefit for a small app being featured. They'd essentially go from their current user base to potentially millions in a day.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#53

Post by mmuro »

od2m wrote: post #50
kevingibbon wrote: post #38

I hate the idea of AppGratis and I'm glad its been removed. Who really benefits? The cheap user who will not normally pay for a high quality app? The app developer who spends $$ to get featured in AppGratis to then artificially climb the app store ranking? Dls are one of the worst vanity metrics out there. Devs should focus on building high quality products, monetize, then acquire quality users in a sustainable manne…

The problem is low quality software and no trials. I can't tell you how many times I've seen an app, paid $2.99 for it and then found out it was garbage.

But it's only $2.99.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#54

Post by physcab »

potatolicious wrote: post #44
spontaneus wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook just recently started doing this as well. You can now pay to get your app promoted in people's news feed.

This isn't quite the same thing. Facebook is letting people advertise apps on news feeds, they're not forcing downloads via a game mechanism. What GP is talking about is the much sketchier model of blocking (or greatly slowing down) access to an app unless the user goes and downloads an affiliated app. This is artificial download inflation by bending the user over a barrel, not advertising.

I don't think Apple will approve an app that blocks a user or slows them down unless they install a 3rd party app. What usually happens is an advert pops up during normal app usage, the user has to exit or let the ad go away, then they can continue using. It's a normal advertisement. Its not unlike when the NYTimes does a full site takeover for some Buick commercial and you have to minimize the ad before you can continue reading. But going out and buying a Buick certainly doesn't decrease your access time to NYTimes articles.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#55

Post by mdmarra »

tvon wrote: post #43
brodney wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming you still develop for iOS, what is your setup for developing while using linux?

You can get OSX up and running in VirtualBox/Vagrant. Not that I'd want to do actual development that way, but we do it for iOS CI.

Which is a violation of the OS X EULA.

install, use and run up to two (2) additional copies or instances of the Apple Software within virtual operating system environments on each Mac Computer you own or control that is already running the Apple Software, for purposes of: (a) software development; (b) testing during software development; (c) using OS X Server; or (d) personal, non-commercial use.

http://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/OSX1082.pdf

B.2.iii

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#56

Post by kevingibbon »

od2m wrote: post #50
kevingibbon wrote: post #38

I hate the idea of AppGratis and I'm glad its been removed. Who really benefits? The cheap user who will not normally pay for a high quality app? The app developer who spends $$ to get featured in AppGratis to then artificially climb the app store ranking? Dls are one of the worst vanity metrics out there. Devs should focus on building high quality products, monetize, then acquire quality users in a sustainable manne…

The problem is low quality software and no trials. I can't tell you how many times I've seen an app, paid $2.99 for it and then found out it was garbage.

Exactly why a lot of devs are finding a freemium model with in-app purchases to be a winning strategy.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#57

Post by kevingibbon »

ryanSrich wrote: post #52
kevingibbon wrote: post #38

I hate the idea of AppGratis and I'm glad its been removed. Who really benefits? The cheap user who will not normally pay for a high quality app? The app developer who spends $$ to get featured in AppGratis to then artificially climb the app store ranking? Dls are one of the worst vanity metrics out there. Devs should focus on building high quality products, monetize, then acquire quality users in a sustainable manne…

I've used it to try out paid apps that don't have a free option. I'd see a great deal of benefit for a small app being featured. They'd essentially go from their current user base to potentially millions in a day.

From the above comments it looks like they could be charging 100k per day to be featured.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#58

Post by jicea »

credo wrote: post #16

Detailed post, but it doesn't seem to address two things. 1. The WSJ report noted that Apple was concerned that " AppGratis was pushing a business model that appeared to favor developers with the financial means to pay for exposure." Simon hasn't addressed this point. Do they make paid recommendations ? If they do make app-recommendations based on payments, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to ban them. As an iOS (an…

Hi, I'm one of the developer of Meon https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/meon/id400274934?mt=8 . We have been promoted twice by App Gratis, each time we've never paid anything. The App Gratis campaign generated more than 400K downloads and push us in the first place in the French App Store (for a few days). Of course App Gratis use iTunes affiliation to get revenues, but they didn't charge us for anything.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#59

Post by manicbovine »

UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #42

Why, when I CTRL+ their site does the text get smaller and smaller while the images get larger and larger? I have a 1920x1080 display and don't have super-human vision...

Probably because they have -webkit-text-size-adjust:none set in style.css.

Re: AppGratis pulled from the App Store. Here’s the full story

#60

Post by spontaneus »

pgrote wrote: post #24
credo wrote: post #16

Detailed post, but it doesn't seem to address two things. 1. The WSJ report noted that Apple was concerned that " AppGratis was pushing a business model that appeared to favor developers with the financial means to pay for exposure." Simon hasn't addressed this point. Do they make paid recommendations ? If they do make app-recommendations based on payments, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to ban them. As an iOS (an…

Does 5.6 apply to all apps? Is it a black and white issue? For instance, the Southwest Airline app, Ding, sends me push notifications when there are sales.

And, what about Groupon and Living Social? All they do is promote a different business every day... If Apple is going to make rules like this, they need to be consistant on how they enforce it.
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