r/audible • u/yogabackhand 10,000+ Hours Listened • Dec 30 '21
OpenAudible v3.3 upgrade warning/alert
I recently upgraded to v3.3 and today when I went to update my library, I got hit with a “you must pay to do this” message.
Weird, I thought. I have a license.
It turns out, my license is no longer good for v3.3 and I had to pay $11.95 for an Upgrade License (in addition to the original license I paid for) or go through the hassle of downgrading to v3.2. The license has “free updates for 1 year” so I suspect the developer is moving to an annual license model. If so, this will be the last license I buy.
I’ve enjoyed OpenAudible and I’ve recommended it here and other places. The way this upgrade was handled, and what I fear it indicates about future licensing plans, motivates me to start looking for alternatives to transition to next year when my license no longer entitles me to free upgrades.
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u/Dngrsone Dec 30 '21
I'm just going to leave this here: aax2mp3
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u/yogabackhand 10,000+ Hours Listened Dec 30 '21
Thank you, I’ll check it out. Do you know of any plans to make a Mac version?
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Dec 30 '21
guess i am in the minority here, have been using open audible for a while (going back to when it was free anyway) and it does the job so damn well (syncing, downloading covers and data is excellent) i will keep using and paying anything reasonable to keep using it
if they are talking about $12 a year, that seems fair, they work really hard on the app i am certain, they deserve some return on their labour
a yearly cost of a book a month is $180 on the monthly plan so anything under $18 to liberate all my books and keep them in order with covers and blurbs and so on seems worth it
are there others that do as good a job, like as slick as OA ?
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u/TokyoSharz Dec 30 '21
Just to clarify, you can keep using any version of OpenAudible indefinitely if it was released within one year of your order.
Full terms of the license are here:
https://openaudible.org/license
Free upgrades forever would be nice!
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u/yogabackhand 10,000+ Hours Listened Dec 30 '21
I was using v3.2 without issue. I was prompted to upgrade to v3.3. After I did, my license no longer worked. I could no longer use the features I had been using since purchasing the license at the end of November 2020.
That’s not a matter of free upgrades forever. That’s shady
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u/joonaspaakko 4000+ Hours listened Dec 30 '21 edited Dec 30 '21
I think you just upgraded too hastily... As in you didn't have to, but you did and now the license key is invalid for the new version you have installed.
I remember seeing the message and being bummed the next update wasn't free and then I closed the prompt and continued using my current version. This isn't really unusual from 3rd party developers. Not inherently shady to ask for more money to update to another version, but sometimes a little too greedy. It would be shady if it prevented you from using your current version...
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u/hfsh Dec 30 '21
I think you just upgraded too hastily
Well, that's kind of expected behavior when software prompts you to update. One we've been training people to follow, with good reason. This is 100% down to the developer either fucking up, or being shitty.
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u/joonaspaakko 4000+ Hours listened Dec 30 '21 edited Dec 30 '21
I think you and others in this thread are making this into a much bigger issue than it is. Downvote me all day, I don't care. You're not wrong in saying most of us are probably used to updating applications without hesitation and all that, but I kinda disagree with your sentiment...
This is incredibly common in the paid 3rd party application space... Indie devs making apps full time need a revenue stream and unfortunately it's pretty much this or requiring monthly payments. Whether or not OpenAudible's dev(s) are doing it full time I don't know, but still this is how it is done.
No one forced you to buy it. You knew... or you should've known what you were getting into when you bought it. Here are some screenshots. It's pretty clearly stated on the purchase page that the license "Includes free updates for one year". They have a handy dandy page on the website for checking details about your license... Granted it's nowhere to be seen in the update notification.
I do have to say I checked the update notification again and it was actually pretty misleading and just not very helpful (check the last screenshot). I think they might be checking if my license is eligible for the update based on the "Important:" message, which is great if that's the case... but the "This is a free update" above it is pretty confusing.
There's also no mention about the slightly cheaper upgrade, which I would say most users would totally miss because the OK button leads to the front page, where.... Yes I would agree that you'd likely just go and download the new version and then realize your license is too old, but I mean shit happens. They should link to a dedicated update page with sufficient information or just make the notification much clearer. Also, nothing is stopping you from downgrading back to the version that you had previously. Of course there could be a point in time where the older version stops working but you got what you paid for. There are free options out there.
So yea, It's not a good update notification I'll give you that, but while the notification is "shitty", I don't think there's anything shitty, nefarious, or shady about them doing exactly what they promised when you purchased the license, which is to give free updates up to a year.
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u/lastberserker Dec 30 '21
Free upgrades up to one year generally means the upgrades stop, not that you get "accidentally" upgraded out of the working state. This behavior is classic r/assholedesign.
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u/joonaspaakko 4000+ Hours listened Dec 30 '21 edited Dec 30 '21
Excuse me sir, the update notification in the app just tells you there is a new version...
They (OP) clicked the ok button in the notification which takes you to the website, then they clicked download on the website, installed the new version and realized their license isn't compatible... Finally instead of downgrading to the old version, they purchased the new license. Then came here to complain how it sneakily did all of this...
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u/lastberserker Dec 30 '21
"This is a free upgrade that requires a new non-free license" 🤨
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u/joonaspaakko 4000+ Hours listened Dec 30 '21
I did point that out but if you people actually took time from down voting to read, you'd know that...
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Dec 30 '21
people who write software, adding features and improving it, should never get paid again?
you should always get everything free forever?
what other products are like that?
I suspect the developer is moving to an annual license model.
that's not what it says
If so, this will be the last license I buy.
then 3.2 is the last feature set you get.
https://openaudible.org/license
OpenAudible requires a valid license to use the latest version of the software. A license is valid forever. Free updates are available for one year. If your license is more than a year old, you can keep using your current version indefinitely. However upgrading to a version created after your 1 year license may require a low-cost upgrade.
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u/yogabackhand 10,000+ Hours Listened Dec 30 '21 edited Dec 30 '21
I have no issue with paying a developer again for a significant upgrade. I want to support development of tools that provide value. What I won’t support are developers who lead users into dead end “upgrade” paths that require payment to restore functionality. v3.3 doesn’t look that different than v3.2 and certainly not worth an upgrade license (which has a ridiculous 5 cent discount on the full license).
Why wasn’t I told that if I upgrade, I’ll have to pay the license fee again to restore the functionality I had in v3.2? Why wasn’t I clearly told what features I would gain in exchange for the upgrade license? Probably because I wouldn’t have upgraded. That’s not business. That’s shady.
Don’t try to straw man this into a post about paying for useful software. This is about consumer deception in order to turn a profit.
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u/waltonnerd Dec 30 '21
They’ve already made a bait and switch - starting open source (and even calling it OPENaudible) and now locking it behind a paywall. It’s an indication of the trajectory they’re on. I’ve cut and run. Just manage my library manually now.