Apple may be preparing to change how iOS subscriptions operate a developer increases prices. Disney+ seems to have begun informing users of upcoming price changes and then automatically opting them in which is different from how subscription price increases are normally handled.
Sarah Perz for TechCurnch:
In most other cases, a customer is presented with options to either agree to the new, higher price or visit the subscriptions management page to cancel the service. If customers ignore this warning without clicking the “agree” button, the subscription is automatically canceled on their behalf.
The discrepancy with how Disney+ was operating was recently discovered by developer Max Seelemann, who claimed to have received a notification about the streamer’s price increase that only offered a large “OK” button, with fine print that informed users if they wanted to cancel, they could click a link to review their subscription.
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
Disney has tweaked prices for its streaming service over the past year, including a $1 increase for Disney+ announced in March 2021 in the U.S. The service then went from $6.99 per month to $7.99 per month, or from $69.99 to $79.99 for users on an annual subscription. Other international markets saw similar, smaller increases at different times.
While $1 is not a large or upsetting change, the concern is that unscrupulous developers could potentially use such a feature to raise prices by much higher amounts without users directly agreeing to the new charges.
Technovanguard Note: An Apple spokesperson told techCrunch that this change to subscription pirce increase is part of a pilot test: “We are piloting a new commerce feature we plan to launch very soon. The pilot includes developers across various app categories, organization sizes and regions to help test an upcoming enhancement that we believe will be great for both developers and users, and we’ll have more details to share in the coming weeks.”
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[Thanks to Technovanguard Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
The post Apple tests allowing developers to automatically charge users for subscription price increases appeared first on Technovanguard.
