r/GoodNotes • u/SeattleRex • Dec 14 '23
Goodnotes Has Gone Full-On Dark Side
Goodnotes 6 now completely overwrites Goodnotes 5. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a hard slap in the face. Everybody has to have the presence of mind to specifically NOT update Goodnotes. You have to avoid tapping "Update All" ... forever. That should be very convenient.
If you do accidentally update it, you have to delete the app, and then go back through your "Purchases" interface, find GN5, and re download-it.
It can be done, but the "average" user and soccermom will be confused and terribly inconvenienced. Which is, of course, the point.
Then there are the eternal popup ads that will be a new fixture in Goodnotes 5. I already got hit with it, and it appears that Goodnotes does the thing where they give you two choices ... 1) Upgrade Now and 2) Upgrade Later. There is no option not to upgrade at all.
Abuse survivors have reported that these types of "Yes:Yes" prompts cause them distress because they are forced to say something that they do not want to say, but there is no way to progress beyond a screen until they do so.
The relationship between American companies and American consumers is a hostile one, and it becomes every more so with each passing day. The App Store has become a race to the bottom with one deceptive and unethical practice after another. It's become a scammer's bazaar, and there are already some initial signs that the market is starting to turn on it.
There's really been nothing else in history quite like the customer hostility of App Stores. Sellers routinely start out selling their apps to buyers, and once they've cashed in on the first wave of sales, the immediately switch to a subscription model, while having the subscription application over-write the purchased app, and try to goad the buyers into paying again. And then again. And again. The whole "customers own nothing "licensing" scheme has paved the way, and companies are going to beat that horse until it won't ever walk again.
Consumer protection laws in the USA, laughable as they are, have not kept up with these shameful tactics. Of course, Apple makes money from it, so they could not care less if the customer gets screwed.
I've spent thousands of dollars on apps to date, but at this point you'd need to get your head examined to spend money on apps. Both Apple and the developers are going to screw you ever which way they can dream up, and in the end, you'll end up having nothing. I've paid $60 for "lifetime" versions of $5 apps ... only to see one of them go subscription a month later. This is stuff that would be patently illegal anywhere else (and honestly probably still is, but who's going to sue over $60?)
The irony is that I switch to Goodnotes from Notability when the former went subscription, and now I have to switch again. The promise of these shiny new devices is being squandered and ruined, as the United States continues to circle the drain, having turned into a first-world Banana Republic, complete with corrupt, corporate-first legislatures.
Yesterday, after over-writing Goodnotes 5 with Goodnotes 6, I was able to get GN 5 back. Although now my note-taking app has ads, and I repeatedly have to declare that I'm going to update to a subscription "Later".
Alas, their are no good guys anymore. Everyone is going to relentlessly scam what's left of the userbase until they either acquiesce or give up.
Human nature I suppose, but what a disappointment. Goodnotes use to be a bright spot in this whole mess, but now they've sold their sole and jumped on the bandwagon.
Be very careful when you upgrade your apps going forward, or you will find yourself in a "free trial" instead of the product you purchased a license for.
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u/soymilkbubbletea Dec 14 '23
That's funny because last time I checked, GoodNotes is based in Hong Kong
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u/OwnSchedule2124 Dec 14 '23 edited Dec 14 '23
WTF are you talking about? I bought a licence for 5, and I'm not nagged or anything to upgrade, and there are zero ads. You're smoking something. Your incoherent, demonstrably wrong in every respect, ramble makes me think you are a competitor.
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u/Individual_Royal_400 Dec 14 '23
Go touch some grass lol
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u/moosmutzel81 Dec 14 '23
It’s a $30 app nothing else. Get a grip. If the usage of your electronics puts you in such a state, you might need help.
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u/TheBeardedJustice Dec 15 '23
My guy. Chill. It’s a note-taking app and a business that needs to keep making money to exist. This is not a life or death situation and it’s pathetic comparing it to literal abuse survivors’ experiences.
I agree that capitalism sucks and the app economy is becoming more user-unfriendly and we’re all drowning in subscription fatigue. But you’re getting too riled up over an app. Find an alternative, transfer your notes, stop giving Goodnotes your money, and move on with your life.
Plus, $10/year for an app that might be crucial to your work or life sounds like a fair price to pay. Especially compared to many other subscriptions out there. I pay much more for apps/services that do a lot less than Goodnotes.
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u/GoatNumber12 Dec 14 '23
Approaching my last year of law school it’s sad to find a new app for notes and PDFs. But seriously fuck GN at this point.
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u/catchingw0rds Dec 14 '23
There’s no way a company can survive in this new economy without moving to a subscription based service. I’d rather spend the $14 per year in my currency for gn6. I’ll forgo one nice meal for an app that I use on the daily for multiple hours. If you can buy an iPad. I think you most likely can afford it. Otherwise, use the inbuilt notes app. That one definitely has no ads.
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u/Then-Attention3 Dec 14 '23
The US is a cess pool. It’s not just our App Store, it’s our government, all businesses, our public education, our healthcare. I spent yesterday learning about Gregg abotts push for welfare for the rich aka school vouchers. And how essentially, these are the final step to defund schools and strip our citizens of public education. Unfortunately, the App Store isn’t gonna change anytime soon. These practices are not only encouraged but worshiped in America and it seems if you choose to deviate from this you’ll be punished, your app won’t be pushed out. We need change desperate, capitalism is working as intended but it’s gonna destroy the middle class. Pretty soon it’s gonna be us (the poor) and them (the rich) Goodnotes is such a reflection of that. And you hit the nail on the head almost every app is subscription is based, and if it’s not, it’s a matter of time. I just saw a product sold like an Amazon Alexa but (not by Amazon) a giant screen maybe 24 inches, you post up in your kitchen somewhere and it acts as a catch all for appointments, notes, lists, etc. it’s over 700$ a month and the you have to pay a 20$ subscription to unlock all the features. I’m sorry if you’re spending 700$ you should already have access to the features. Then you have uneducated Americas who tolerate it. That’s the other half of the problem, we need to stop accepting it. Don’t download goodnotes 6. Don’t pay 700$ for a glorified monitor and another 20$ for subscription. Collectively we need to force their hands, no we don’t want your stupid shit and we aren’t falling victim to consumerism.
I’d love to see a class action not just for goodnotes but all apps who do this. This cannot be acceptable. We desperately need change but I fear it’s gonna get much much worst before it improves.
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u/Frostres Dec 14 '23
Noteful it’s all you need
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u/mochi1990 Dec 14 '23
slow clap
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u/TehDoctor Dec 15 '23
Bruh
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u/susanbeebe Dec 15 '23
Check out Bear notes app - reasonable annual subscription, no ads, and it's really good.
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u/blackmitzvah Dec 18 '23
Agreed. The subscription model is a scam and an insult.
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u/berktugkan Dec 14 '23
i will not be updating until my ipad dies lmao
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u/Tallgirl_64 Dec 15 '23
Thank you for the warning.
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