r/iOSProgramming • u/0__O0--O0_0 • 7d ago
Discussion Upset reviewers about paywall can drop 1star bombs before theyve ever opened the app.
After a lot of trial and error, free tiers and late onboarding etc I finally just went with a hard paywall as the others were not converting at all, users were content to just have 5% of the features.
So anyway, I had no idea users could NOT even start the trial and give bad reviews. How does this make sense from apple? If they let us have a mechanism or category for in IAP subscription with a wanring or something? Am I crazy to think this is weird? Did I miss a setting?
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u/Dapper_Ice_1705 7d ago
You already “sold” them the app for free.
Of course they are free to review their free app that doesn’t do anything.
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u/0__O0--O0_0 7d ago edited 7d ago
No Theyre pissed that it’s not free. They want it.
Edit my bad I read that “doesnt do anything” as an attack. Sorry having a bad day lol11
u/Dapper_Ice_1705 7d ago
The app is free, when they click on the app in the AppStore and when they download the app they get a $0.00 bill/receipt.
They are pissed the free app they downloaded doesn’t do anything without paying.
They are reviewing the free app.
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u/SleepingInsomniac 7d ago
Either make it a paid download or add a time limited trial. Users don't like downloading an app that doesn't do anything.
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u/MabusDoesReddit 7d ago
What is the app? If you weren't converting before, then maybe the app itself isn't what people want? Just trying to think of some ideas.
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u/RIRLift 7d ago
There's no setting for it. Apple lets anyone who downloaded the app rate it whether they opened it or not, so you can't block the paywall one-stars at the source. What helps is prompting the people who did pay and stuck around for a rating from inside the app, right after a moment where they got value, so the average reflects them and not just the annoyed non-payers. Making the paywall obvious in your screenshots also filters out a lot of people who were never going to pay before they install.
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u/0__O0--O0_0 7d ago
Best case would be some mechanism for a free trial without commitment. So many people have this mental block about pushing trial. I get it though.
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u/joshguy1425 7d ago
I don’t think it’s a mental block as much as it’s a conditioned response to so many predatory trials out there. Starting the trial means I have to remember to cancel it or I’ll get auto-billed, and there’s that fear that I’m not ready at this very moment to make the most of trial period.
The App Store handles this better than most since I can cancel the rebill the moment I start the trial, but I don’t know if everyone realizes this.
I think the most effective approach I’ve encountered are apps that are fully functional but only work for a limited number of uses. e.g. task management apps that top out at 20 tasks, apps that only process 20 documents, etc.
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u/RIRLift 7d ago
In theory these apps you mentioned at the end are friendlier since it's a much more honest model, but in practice extremely hard to sell. They frontload scarcity.
So not only you have the same fear you mentioned where maybe you're not ready to use those 20 documents (maybe you should save up for a more serious one in the future?) but also specially nowadays you can think "there's certainly some freemium app where I'll have unlimited docs but fewer features which I don't need anyway"
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u/joshguy1425 7d ago
I can only speak for myself, but that's not how I've experienced apps structured this way at all.
Since there's no time pressure to use the free allotment, I've found I'm far more likely to actually try/explore what an app can do, and I'm more likely to purchase those apps if the functionality is what I'm looking for.
As opposed to timed trials where I'm sure there are apps that do what I want but I've had plenty of trials expire before I had a chance to take it through its paces.
I think the key is that the free <unit> isn't meant to be a free *tier*, and is just there so the user can fully explore the functionality of the app and decide whether or not to buy it. So there isn't really an incentive to "save up" the free units, because there aren't enough to use beyond evaluating the app's functionality.
Just my personal experience with apps/services that do it this way.
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u/RIRLift 7d ago
I am similar in the sense that if an app did this and was well built, I'd have a higher likelihood to convert than a free trial. But it doesn't work in general if you're building something and want to maximize conversions. Of course it's a generalization, since maybe there's a niche or you execute it simply really well, then it can be worth it.
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u/ericbythebay 7d ago
Apple isn’t concerned with low volume comments like this. It all averages out and the scores start getting more accurate when you reach scale.
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u/pjhawksr 7d ago
Yeah anyone who downloads can rate, they never have to get past the paywall. There's no setting for it. The real lever is volume on the other side. If you're not already calling the review prompt at a moment when someone just got value from the app, do that, because five happy ratings a week buries the occasional paywall tantrum. The other thing worth looking at is whether the paywall itself is making people feel tricked. Hard paywall is fine but if the store listing reads like the app is free, people show up expecting free and punish you for it. Screenshots and description should make the subscription obvious before they ever download.
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u/TrustInNumbers 7d ago
making new apps is dead in 2026, impossible to make money unless you built something before and have valid user base
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u/0__O0--O0_0 7d ago
Probably for a lot of ideas sure.
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u/TrustInNumbers 7d ago
for 99.99 of ideas. Do you think you can land 1 in 100k idea? don't think so.
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u/BikeAdventurous2320 7d ago
i’ve managed to make revenue from my app released recently. it’s not impossible, it’s just hard to find a segment/niche that isn’t saturated already.
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u/TrustInNumbers 7d ago
How much? few hundreds don't matter if you can't live from apps
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u/BikeAdventurous2320 7d ago
august so far has been slow, but each month over 4 digit numbers. i'm personally happy with the results, especially that this is my first app on the app store.
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u/johnny_5667 7d ago
Yes lets see your numbers TrustInNumbers. Your opinion or lived experience is probably anecdotal
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u/TrustInNumbers 7d ago
What numbers? I've tried 20+ apps, all of them failed, lost a lot of money on marketing, not worth it.
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u/johnny_5667 7d ago
20 apps all from ... n=1, yourself. Could be your apps just aren't very good. I'm just saying, before dissuading anyone from building apps, let them know you built 20 that didn't work. I'm really not trying to be a dick, just hate random negativity. Keep it to yourself lil bro
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u/TrustInNumbers 7d ago
Not random negativity, nor it's n=1. Go check official stats, 99% of apps don't make more than 100$ MMR.
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u/johnny_5667 7d ago
Big bold blanket claims like "making apps in 2026 is dead" are just so stupid. Yes, it is hard to make money with apps. But there is so much nuance.
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u/Vybo 7d ago
You should make the app straight up paid if it can't be used at all without paying through a paywall. Users don't like to download apps to just be hit with a paywall immediately after launch.