As a person who gets a lot of promo codes and offers up reviews in return (and I am a fair reviewer don't just give 5 stars to give) I am disappointed. I hope this doesn't change how developers give away codes, I depend on this to get apps most of the time I don't have money to shell out. Its a win win for consumers and developers on the old system. I do see the flaws, but everything has flaws. Some developers have abused the system but the majority have not so I disagree with Apples choice. One question it says that the promo code doesn't count as a purchase so does that mean if I want to redownload an app I will be charged?
You still own the game so yes you can redownload it but itunes now makes a distinction on how you got it. Personally I prefer this system. With the old system devs could easily push out bugfix updates to reup their 50 promos and then throw them around to get 5 star reviews which completely games the system. With this system devs still have their 50 promos to give out to review sites,and/or hand them out here and still get great feedback. If devs want reviews they will just have to gift you a copy. For that review they will lose a little money and become more cautious of who gets them, but in the end those that are consistent about doing reviews may actually end up getting far more games.
Thanks for the response and you make a good point, it's tough I see the good and bad of both policies
Most likely apple will not yeild. There are still tons of interesting ways to market apps but are less geared towards the end user but more focused on the middle men. The middle men composed of review sites, bloggers, influential people.
I've tried again and this has been all day...no I'm really thinking that maybe Apple has my account flagged or something? I while back I got a promo code for Clay Moon. I've been trying to post an iTunes review ever since. Now the app is Free. So I redownloaded both on iTunes and my iPhone. When I try to write my review on both mediums, it still says I have not purchased.
It won't let you do it that way. Just like with every app you get from the appstore a record is kept that you purchased the app. Even if you delete it from your device and your computer iTunes still has that record so you aren't repaying for apps. The problem is that checking for the record of purchase no longer comes back with a simple yes/no. It's now yes (w/promo), yes (purchase/gift), and no. I guess the argument could be that yes you got it through a promo, but since it's free you can now own it "legitimately". It may not have been considered by apple that this scenario might not have been considered but I think it was on purpose. They want promotional codes to be used as a means to distribute free copies to websites, twitter fans, facebook friends that will help promote the app; at the same time apple is giving them a clear disadvantage so devs don't overuse them since a promo means one less review (and that apple isn't making it's 30% per sale)
Still i can review Hi, folks yesterday i look each and every place for this news but didn't got any trail, I asked my friend to redeeming a promocode and try to review and he was able to do so and download also counts. So the conclusion is might be this is restricted to third party apps like Promodispencer... but others can still redeem promocodes sent by developers and they can still review. If any body wants the proof i can post the link of the app he has reviewed on iTunes app-store. So be happy Have a nice day
My friend received a code for Real Racing 2 just yesterday from a contest firemint did and he can't review it. May I ask if you're using the US Appstore? It's possible that Apple is rolling this out on larger stores first and working their way through?
"It is no longer possible to rate or review an app if it was downloaded using a developer's promotional code. You can review this app by purchasing it on a different iTunes account using something other than a developer's promotional code, such as a Gift Card, Gift Certificate, or other payment options." from Apple support...
Yes, it's been confirmed. I suppose this has it benefits though, like resulting in less shill reviews..
I hope Apple put more consideration on how to support Indie developers when they make the policy. The new policy impact indies more since most of them don't have large user base to get enough reviews/ratings. Apps/Games developed by Indies tends to focus on niche market, has more differentiation, more creativity. It's Apple's source of innovation.
I frankly don't think Apple are obliged to cater specifically to indie developers. That being said I think they've been quite good at bringing the limelight to several quality indie-titles in the past. The App Store itself does not particularly favor big companies they share the "shelf space" with the small guys. The rules of economics will of course favor the big shots, but that's simply how the world works. Neither do I think this new policy really impacts devs all that much. If you create an app priced somewhere between $0.99 - 2.99 most people should be able to afford gifting apps for competitions etc. instead of simply sharing promo-codes. The problem with this approach of course is that I believe you still cannot gift to other countries(?)
You can gift apps only in your country. A developer from europe can't gift apps to US users and unfortunately from the point of business only the US appstore counts in regard of reviews and rankings.
Yes, the App store system is already a revolution in computer history that so many developers can share or contribute to Apple's success. I see the policy reasonable as users may review higher with appreciation of getting the app free. But how about some other ways, for example a line of statement in each review, "Review by this user get the App free", or a statics number show how many of rate/review is made by free promo code. Just some brain storm.
That is a dangerous tactic. When a game becomes free for a limited time, lots of people will download it even if they would normally not be interested in the game at all. Your downloads will spike, but so will the amount of 1-star reviews ("Meh, I don't like racing games at all.")
Yes I agree that an indication of review type would be a good compromise. Perhaps a color-coding of stars. But whats the problem, if an app is suspected of breaking rules then there are factory workers out there who would be more than happy to randomly spot-check reviews and ratings to earn a crust!
This is where the problem lies, imo, and why I think Apple did this. I believe Apple does owe quite a bit to the Indie devs as they helped build the App Store. If Apple had required a huge dev fee and special selection process like Nintendo... they would not have been able to boast about the number of apps at each keynote. But Apple is all about control. And by removing tools for Indie devs to promote their products, they retain the control to make or break whichever dev they want. They can select the next Angry Birds while other more qualified apps might fall to the wayside.
What tool did they remove exactly? Developers still get promo codes, the only difference is that it becomes harder for them to buy 5 star reviews. If anything it gives indie devs a better chance to shine because star ratings become much more accurate when you strip out the fluff and sales data is more accurate with promos not counting
