Apple, as always, is very strict regarding its terms and conditions with Apple-related stuff. Recently the market was up with the news of the Apple issue regarding Valve’s Steam. Apple denied the Steam app on the Apple App store as it found it was not secure for its users. Now the company is thinking about granting permission for free trials of apps and games on the Apple App store.
Application developers always complained that they really find it very hard to convince the user to use their apps. They, therefore, wanted to provide a free app trial so they don’t have to unnecessarily convince the users through other ways. It was thus found that the users hesitate to download apps that don’t belong to well-known publishers.
Apple made it clear in section 3.1.1 that in order to enable free trials, the developers must create free in-app purchases and set expiration dates. The company states that developers must make it a point that their app must çlrealy identify the duration, the content, or services. This content or services thus would not be accessible after a trial ends, and the user will have to pay for the app’s full functionality.
Section 2.2 still claims that “demos, betas, and trial versions of your app don’t belong on the App Store,” although it refers to a narrow definition in which developers can’t put out separate demo/trial releases.
The free app trial included HBO Now and YouTube services until last week. This app thus started billing automatically after the end of its free trial period.
