Apple is adjusting its App Store policy so that apps can now automatically apply a price increase without user approval. However, there are limitations to ensure that users are not suddenly scammed with much more expensive subscriptions. The restrictions are as follows:
- A developer can apply an automatic price increase once a year. If this happens more often, the legacy system will kick in and users will need to grant permission first.
- The price increase cannot exceed $5 and no more than 50 percent of the total subscription price.
- Or if it is an annual subscription, the price increase should not exceed $50 and 50 percent of the total price.
Previously, all subscriptions had to be approved by users for a price increase to occur. The problem, according to Apple, is that it can easily cause a service to be interrupted by accident; If the user has not yet accepted the next moment of payment, the subscription will automatically stop. Many miss the email and push notifications, resulting in automatic unsubscribe.
However, the same problem applies to the new system. Users are now automatically notified of a price increase in advance, instead of being notified of a price increase. These notifications will also usually be missed. In practice, this means in principle that subscription prices are no longer automatically terminated, but in the eyes of the user, possibly suddenly rising subscription prices.
Sources: Apple, via Engadget
Source: Hardware Info
