In-appPurchases
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In-app purchase hack won't work in iOS 6, say coders
The IAP hack of the past few weeks allows users of iOS apps to make in-app purchases ... without actually paying. The hack is essentially a DNS exploit -- it fools apps running on your iPhone or iPad into thinking they're contacting Apple's in-app purchase servers when they actually are not. The Next Web reported that Apple has opened up a private API to developers who want to take advantage of countermeasures to prevent IAP hacks. Please note: This hack is essentially stealing. Developers who've worked hard on app content that you want to use or play with deserve to be paid for it, and gaining access to that content illegitimately is wrong. Bad news on the horizon for hackers who choose to use this exploit: As of iOS 6, the hack won't work at all any more. "Currently game is over," posts a developer behind the hack. "Currently we have no way to bypass updated APIs." So when the new version of iOS arrives this fall, this kind of hack should be over and done with. That poster does also say, however, that the hack is reportedly still working for the current OS, and the devs have "some cards in the hand." Hacking is always a back-and-forth battle, but hopefully Apple will keep its iOS secure, and make sure that developers releasing content on the App Store are able to get paid for what they sell. [via The Loop] #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Telefonica partners with Facebook, Google, Microsoft and RIM for global carrier billing
Making a half dozen attempts to guess your login info or typing each digit of a credit card account certainly can get in the way of following through on impulse purchases, which is exactly how you'd categorize FarmVille cash or a featured flick that you know you may not have time to watch within the month. The solution is carrier billing, eliminating those precious seconds between impulse and reconsideration, and Telefonica has just signed on to offer the service to Facebook, Google, Microsoft and RIM account holders. The partnerships will enable O2 users in Germany or Movistar subscribers in Spain to charge purchases to their mobile phone accounts, for example -- in total, 14 Telefonica subsidiaries should be up and running with carrier billing by the end of the year, though some services, such as Google Play and Facebook, have already begun to roll out. Click through to the PR after the break for the full breakdown.
Windows Phone 8 will finally deliver in-app purchases
Everyone else already does it, so it was about time that Microsoft jumped on the in-app purchasing bandwagon. With the debut of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft will now offer developers the ability to deliver additional content, upgrades and media via an integrated purchasing tool. The feature was demoed as part of the new wallet feature, which will protect you from accidentally completing an in app purchase with a PIN. What does this all mean? That you can finally have FarmVille on your Windows Phone. Cause that's what we've all been waiting for, right? Guys... where are you going? %Gallery-158736%
Amazon Appstore shatters $20 ceiling for in-app purchases
In a move that's likely to grab the attention of more than a few Android developers, Amazon has announced that its arbitrary $20 limit for in-app purchases via the Appstore is no more. The company announced this change in an email to developers, which follows a tweak to the Appstore's parental controls. In-app purchasing is rather new territory for the Amazon crew, which first unveiled the necessary APIs just last week. There's no word on what new monetary limit is now in place, but make sure to watch your spending, kids -- some of these apps are incredibly habit-forming.
Amazon's Appstore takes a 30 percent cut
Starting today, Amazon will open up its Android Appstore to in-app purchases, according to a report in AllThingsD. Its model will follow that of Apple and iOS, with Amazon taking a 30 percent cut of each purchase. Transactions will be handled through Amazon's 1-Click purchasing system, which the retailer uses across its website and Kindle devices.
Amazon adds in-app purchasing to Appstore for Android devices, Kindle Fire
Amazon's Appstore has offered a typical application acquisition experience, save for one important detail: in-app purchasing. Beginning today, devs can now take advantage of the familiar revenue booster already available in the iOS App Store and Google Play, through the use of the Amazon Appstore In-App Purchasing API. The service will enable Android device and Kindle Fire users to pick up expansion packs, virtual gaming currency or manage subscriptions from within individual applications, with the same one-click purchase experience available in Amazon's online store. A handful of top devs like Disney and Conde Nast have already hopped on board, but those of you who haven't received an early nod from AMZN can now join in on the fun as well. Click past the break for a brief video intro from the e-tailer, along with a handful of testimonials in the full press release.
Mobile is the fastest-growing segment of social games
The iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices are a growing source of revenue for those selling virtual goods, says a report from Inside Virtual Goods. The report looks at the virtual goods market and tracks sales from mobile devices and social games like those on Facebook. Though social games will remain the leader with US$2.9 billion in sales expected this year, mobile gaming is on the rise. Mobile virtual good sales are expected to climb to $500 million in 2012, up from $350 million in 2011. And this is just the beginning. "Mobile gaming is still hitting its stride," said Justin Smith, the founder of Inside Network, in an interview with Venture Beat. While social games tend to attract older females, the Inside Virtual Goods report claims mobile gaming attracts a different audience. Being on Facebook is important, but the social network shouldn't be a games-only outlet. The winner in this market will be the company that can target both demographics by launching on Facebook and mobile devices at the same time. [Via Venture Beat]
Wolfram Alpha in-app purchase for iOS adds advanced image processing capabilities
Version 1.4 of Wolfram Alpha has just landed in Apple's App Store, and in addition to a visual refresh for weather queries and the ability to procure items from Best Buy, users will also discover a new in-app purchase option that brings image analysis and manipulation to the venerable analytics platform. For $0.99, the new Image Input feature allows users to add filters, perform color processing and OCR recognition, detect features and view EXIF and histogram information of their photos. The Wolfram Alpha app itself will set you back $2.99, so if you've yet to hop aboard, you can expect to plunk down just shy of $4.00 for the app and its add-on -- no doubt a small price for true photo junkies.
MLB at Bat 2012 app out for iDevices and Android, brings in-app monthly subscriptions to iOS
It's that time of year when the hot stove league gives way to spring training, and people start talking less about things like El Hombre's move to LA and more about batting averages and home runs. Thus, MLB has unleashed the MLB At Bat 2012 app to keep you up to date on your favorite squads and stars, and unlike previous iOS iterations, this time it's free. That gratis version gives users limited info (scores, standings, news, and team content), but those willing to drop $14.99 get full access for the year, which includes audio game casts, live game video look-ins and the game of the day. Additionally, there's a $2.99 monthly subscription option if you find forking over for the full season distasteful. Unlike the iOS version, Android users currently only have the $14.99 option, though the same interface is present in both apps to provide a consistent UX. Subscribers of MLB.tv get all of what At Bat 2012 has to offer for free, with Android users gaining access through the existing At Bat Lite app. Sound good? Head on down to the source and get your download on.
Samsung's Smart TV SDK reaches 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payment and ads
Even though all signs indicate Samsung will be joining the Google TV party shortly, it's not going to give up on its own existing Smart TV platform just yet. We don't know if it will run the two side by side as it has operated with Yahoo! Widgets, but the Korean manufacturer has announced it plans to release version 3.0 of its SDK January 5th. The new Samsung Apps toolkit supports mobile devices and TV sets, and lets developers build in support for remote controls, as well as USB mice, keyboards or gamepads. Of course, not all devs will work for free, so they're also adding a way for them to get paid through the built-in payment system or advertisements. Currently, Samsung claims 25,000 developers from 140 countries in its forums, but we'll have to wait until CES 2012 to find out if its products live up to the hype and attract more innovative software to the segment.
Daily iPhone App: Magic Guitar
Smule, as we've said before, is an interesting company. Its goal is to bring new musical experiences to people through technology like the iPhone. The company's latest release, Magic Guitar, definitely follows that philosophy. Like the very popular Magic Piano for the iPad, the app enables you to "play" guitar music, even if you don't have any experience with the real thing. The most interesting thing about Magic Guitar is you hold it. The idea is that you're fingering chords on a guitar neck, so you're supposed to hold the iPhone in the palm of your hand, with your fingers wrapped around the far side. As "notes" fall down towards a line on the screen, you're supposed to put your fingers down where they drop, and as you do, various notes in the song will be played. It's tough to explain, but once you see it in action, it makes sense. Unfortunately, while Magic Piano offers a variety of songs to play, Magic Guitar takes a freemium route. There are only a few songs that come with the free download, and some of those are very short, with only one verse and a chorus. Additional songs need to be purchased through the app, and Smule has chosen a weird, currency-based system for purchases. You buy points instead of the songs. There are some good pop tunes available, and it would be fun to hear and see some of them being played, but I felt awfully limited by the initial choices and didn't buy any. The app itself doesn't do a great job, either, of giving you specific feedback on the notes you play. Hitting the screen a little ways off from the target note does make the sound come out differently, and a match is scored with one to three lightning bolts. I found it fairly easy, even when I thought I'd made a few mistakes, to score well. Of course there are other difficulty levels, but I think the app itself pales in quality to something like Magic Piano, where there were a lot more choices of both songs and game modes. At any rate, all of those arguments are somewhat moot, given that the app in question is free to download anyway. If the idea of playing a guitar on your phone sounds interesting at all, you should definitely give it a shot, though I think Smule will find that there's not quite as much interest in in-app purchases on this as on their other musical apps. That balance of free content versus paid content is often a tough one to hit right, and I think Smule fell just a little short of the line this time.
Daily iPhone App: Spellcraft School of Magic
I'll be honest: I have come down with a pretty bad case of freemium ADD. Pocket Frogs was my first real freemium hookup on the iPhone (and it's still pretty great), but since then, I've made my way through a train of freemium games, including We Rule, Tiny Tower, Battle Nations, We Farm, more Tiny Tower, DragonVale, and now all the way over to Spellcraft School of Magic. If you've played any of these before, you probably know how it goes: The game is completely free to download, and free to play, though you can spend money on in-app convenience items if you want to save time or level yourself up more quickly. But Spellcraft has caught my attention for quite a while this time, because it's a little more "game"-y than some of the other games. Instead of just managing a farm or building a city, you're actually delving through a dungeon, casting spells against bad guys and uncovering various treasures. The idea is that you're a magical student who needs to delve the dungeons to find your professors, and you can cast spells to fight bad guys from scrolls that you can carry and make. Scrolls are created from spell ingredients that at first you just find, but you can also grow them in the greenhouse, which is where the "freemium" cycle comes in: plants can be planted, and then you need to wait real time to let them grow. The gameplay itself is actually pretty well done -- the graphics are nice and polished, and there's a fun arcade-y element to casting spells that allows you to do better or worse depending on how you time your casts. Unfortunately, the in-app purchases aren't quite as "nice" as, say Tiny Tower -- your plants can die on the vine, losing you lots of money, and later in the game, you can also get pets that won't necessarily die, but will get very pitifully sad if you don't feed them (shame on Appy Entertainment for tying the sadness of a hungry animal to an in-app purchase -- that's a little below the belt if you ask me). But the game is definitely playable even without the in-app purchases, and the fact that you can lose plants does at least provide a little encouragement to log in to the game and play it. If freemium isn't your thing, you won't find much new here. This game runs about like a Facebook game, and while there is some nice polish, especially on the iPad, there's not a lot here that you won't find in, say, DragonVale or We Rule. But as is always the case with freemium, the price is right, and it's at least a game that will hold your attention and scratch that freemium obsession itch -- at least until the next fun candidate comes along.
You're the Pundit: Is in-app purchasing out of control?
When it comes to forecasting the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today's topic is in-app purchasing, or IAP for short. We've been having a house debate recently about the proper role of IAP in game marketing and development. Some companies have been treating their customers as cash cows using IAPs. We find that attitude unacceptable. That said, many games (including Tiny Tower, Battle Nations and others) use IAPs responsibly and well. We feel IAP by itself isn't bad, but some companies (and let us be clear, those are actually the minority of companies) put in-app purchases over game play instead of the other way around. Our group take is that IAP, economically speaking, rewards bad game design. Developers can make more money from games with a high initial fun factor followed by a long, dull grind that players already in the groove will then pay out to avoid. If you're paying to avoid game play or to add cheats that put you at an advantage over other players, then in-app purchases are hiding bad game design. Similarly, if you're paying to "accessorize" your world ("collect all 12 fish"), we feel that IAP is taking advantage of customers. When IAP works in games, it branches, extends, or expands gameplay rather than cheats it. So is IAP out of control in App Store? Should Apple be cracking down on the more predatory uses of IAP? You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with your take on this. %Poll-71599%
Daily Update for September 23, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
Developers bemoan trouble with in-app purchases
Twitter was buzzing this morning about a problem with Apple's in-app purchasing system. According to the comments, Apple's receipt verification system is down and developers are losing potential sales. An unconfirmed report from Engadget suggests, Apple may be trying to purge the system of fake receipts. Regardless of the reason, let's hope Apple can get things squared away soon. Customers want to make their purchases and developers want to make their money.
In-app purchasing fail on iTunes is starting to bug developers
In-app purchases via iTunes have apparently been failing in a big way for the last ten hours and app creators who depend on this heavily taxed income are getting antsy. We're hearing unconfirmed speculation that the problem may be connected to fake purchase receipts getting into the system. Whatever the cause, one developer told us the failure is "losing lots of sales" for apps that use receipt verification and is "threatening to more-or-less take down the entire IAP ecosystem." Seeing as Apple insists on this being the only route for in-app purchasing, they'd better fix it pretty darned quick. [Thanks, Tipster]
Report: In-app purchases a strong source of iOS app revenue
iOS app developers who are looking to make big bucks on the App Store should consider using the in-app purchase model, according to a recently published study from Distimo. In-app purchases are a huge source of revenue, accounting for a whopping 72 percent of all App Store revenues. That number has increased drastically from July of 2010, when only 28 percent of App Store revenues came from in-app purchases. What's even more surprising is that only four percent of all apps are currently using the in-app purchase model. This all points to a trend of freemium apps dominating the App Store. These, of course, are apps that are free to download and try out, but require an in-app purchase to supply full functionality. Freemium apps made up the majority of the revenue -- 48 percent, or nearly half of all App Store earnings. Many of these apps are games, but comic apps are also starting to create an impact. TUAW would like to know what your favorite purchase model is -- a one-time purchase that gives you unlimited upgrades and full functionality, or a free download with in-app purchases. Answer our poll below, and if you feel compelled to provide a longer answer, do so in the comments. %Poll-69266%
Freemium items may make money for devs, but aren't kept by consumers
The developers behind the iOS game Hungry Shark recently released some statistics showing just how powerful the freemium model (in which customers download an app or game for free, and then support it with in-app purchases) can be. While the game floundered as a paid app, it's gotten much more popular after going free, and actually increased its revenue by five times over. Currently, says Future Games, the average in-app purchase is as high as $3.26, and that's in addition to having a daily active user base of 250,000 people. Clearly, the freemium model, when combined with the right game and the right audience, works very well. But what's the other side of the equation look like? Mobile advertising firm Flurry also released a report recently, and said that almost overwhelmingly, the main items sold in a freemium game are a "consumable" -- a boost or temporary ability that a customer can use up. That's opposed to a "durable" item, like a new weapon that stays around, or a "personalization" item, like a name change. Flurry says that since consumable items can often directly affect the game, consumers are much more interested in spending money on them, sometimes in surprising amounts. Now, I'd argue that beyond all of this data, it still depends on just what game and which items you're talking about. If a game is terrible, it's far from guaranteed to make any money no matter what model you're using. And I know for a fact that some consumers will backlash against a consumable item that affects gameplay too much, like a double-damage token in a multiplayer game, or anything else that could be seen as cheating. But for the right games, and for items used and sold in the right way, freemium can support an app and even a whole developer with significant amounts of revenue. Angry Birds has been cited before as a great example of how to implement freemium content, with its Mighty Eagle consumable item. And there are a number of other games out there that have figured all of this out, and have the monetary rewards to prove it.
Nintendo 3DS titles to get in-game purchasing later this year
Nintendo needs to milk more out of its revenue-generating units -- er, that's us -- in order to reassure anxious investors. Hence Satoru Iwata's mention at a financial Q&A of plans to allow in-game premium DLC on 3DS titles by the end of this year. He said he was wary that the Nintendo brand could be damaged by low-quality DLC, but was nevertheless keen to offer 3DS customers a way to purchase extra levels or features that extend the life of a game. It's about time Nintendo spruced up its online offerings, but we'd rather spend our arcade money on this.
Lodsys adds Rovio, Atari, EA and others to patent suit, makes birds even angrier
If you thought Lodsys was done making a spectacle of itself and dragging app developers to court, you were sorely mistaken. The king of the patent trolls has amended its original complaint against mobile devs, removing one company, but adding five new ones -- all of them big names. Rovio, Electronic Arts, Square Enix, Atari, and Take-Two Interactive have been added to the list of defendants in the suit filed back in May. Vietnamese company Wulven Games has been dropped from the complaint, but Lodsys has more than made up for it by directly targeting possibly the largest mobile title out there -- Angry Birds. You can find the completely amended filing at the source link and, if you're in the mood for a bit of a refresher, check out the more coverage link.
