I've got a 92% piracy rate on one of my apps. The version being passed around is 1.0.6.
How about releasing an update using an earlier version number (e.g. 1.0.1). Legitimate users probably wouldn't notice/care. However, it would be very confusing on pirate sites where the version number is more important. Would this help? On 31 August 2010 18:05:40 UTC+2, Mark Carter <mjc1...@googlemail.com>wrote: > Would be good if devs could specify refund policy on app-by-app basis. > > > On 31 August 2010 17:58, Samuel Lawson <samuel.law...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Here is a suggestion for Google. >> >> Pirates have very clear buying patterns. Most can be spotted easily. >> >> Analyse the market for buyers who repeatedly buy apps and then get a >> refund in under 5 minutes. Then block those users. >> >> I can see these guys normally pirate 2 of my apps in the space of 5 >> minutes. The guys who do pirate both apps in quick succession really >> stand out. >> >> If i were to compare my pirate data with that of other developers i am >> sure we could make a nice ranking of "Top pirates" this week, month or >> year... >> >> Since Google has all the data, why not do this behind the scenes... >> >> >> >> On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 6:03 PM, Zsolt Vasvari <zvasv...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> Back to the main topic, the data does not show that "piracy is indeed a >> >> significant problem", but shows that many non-paying users are using >> your >> >> app. The big question is would they have paid for your had they not >> been >> >> able to get hold of the pirate version. That's a very difficult >> question to >> >> answer. >> > >> > I think it's hugely dependent on the app. If you think a functionally >> > simple app like Screebl, which basically either works or doesn't work, >> > a pirated copy is as good as a legitamate one. >> > >> > If you take a more complex app like mine, which is a personal finance >> > package, you may need support and new features. In my 500 paid >> > downloads, I'd consider 3% pirated, which I define by getting it >> > refunded within 20 mins. While 500 downloads is not 10,000 like >> > Screebl, I think it's still a significant sample. I record the names >> > of all refunds and mark the "pirates" as well. I get questions and >> > feature requests all the time, but I've yet to see a non-legitimate >> > user ask for help. I think it's one thing to pirate, another to have >> > the nerve to ask the developer for support. I believe, if it comes to >> > that one of these users need help, they would probably just buy the >> > app. >> > >> > -- >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> > Groups "Android Developers" group. >> > To post to this group, send email to >> android-developers@googlegroups.com >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> > android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<android-developers%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> >> > For more options, visit this group at >> > http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "Android Developers" group. >> To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<android-developers%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en >> > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
