Subscriptions are quite common nowadays, but it seems that Apple would be working on a feature that would make managing them worse.
Over the last few years, services through subscriptions have been growing and, in fact, it is something that we have already assumed today. Now everything has to be paid through a monthly, quarterly or annual fee. But that this is the case does not mean that it is the most convenient at a general level.
And, it is that, the fact that there are practically an infinity of services means that, at the end of the month, the fees together represent a fairly important figure. As if this wasn’t enough, many services increase their price annually so the money to pay ends up being even higher.
In most situations, when the price of the service increases, users are notified by email or message. In fact, companies usually notify in advance so that users are aware of the situation and, logically, decide if they want to continue with this service or do without it.
Such services are often cross-platform and therefore can be used on a wide variety of devices from an iPhone to a Windows computer. But in the case of Apple, since the services are linked in a certain way to the App Store; changes made by Cupertino to your store also affect these services.
The last thing that has been seen is that Apple would be testing a feature with which developers or companies that offer subscription services can increase their price and make the charge without the end user being able to anticipate it. And, it is that, what these changes would do is basically eliminate the cancellation facilities.
iOS biz people… Subscription price increase as mere NOTICE instead of having to confirm, else subs expires. Is this new behavior for everyone or exclusive to Disney+? pic.twitter.com/zt7c15QcTA
— Max Seelemann (@macguru17) March 24, 2022
As TechCrunch comments, the App Store would already be testing this feature and would have chosen the rise of Disney + as the litmus test for it. Of course, the market in which the test would have been carried out would not be ours and, for once, we are glad to stay behind the United States.
The main problem with the feature is that the App Store when notifying users of the subscription price increase what it did was launch a notification with a single possible answer. The answer was, logically, to accept this price increase by Disney + and nothing else.
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But the correct or logical way when a price increase occurs, apart from notifying it within the App Store, is to launch a relevant notice that allows you to manage this subscription. Instead Apple would have chosen to limit the options by offering only the ability to accept the upload.
Logically this caused quite a stir and Apple ended up speaking, announcing that it was part of a pilot test for a new subscription operation. Putting the focus even more on the problems of subscriptions. We will have to wait to see how this matter evolves, but in principle it does not look good at all.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism