Here is my exchange with a person with Google on this topic at Android Market Help:
-------------begin insert-------------------- -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David McLaughlin (Android Advocate) Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 7:09 PM To: Android Developers Subject: [android-developers] Re: Charging for upgrading from free to paid version with new features Hi, You may not add a price to an existing app; instead, you will need to upload a new application version and add a price to that. Section 3.3 states that people who download a free app can not be charged at a later date for what they have already downloaded. For example, they can't be charged an ongoing subscription fee for additional content. However, the user can be redirected back to the market to download a "full" version (this would be considered a different version) for a price. Thanks, David On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 4:31 PM, Jay <[email protected]> wrote: Thanks David. Given your clarification as well as the letter of 3.3, don't you think Android Market Help is misleading and incorrect when it says: > Please keep in mind, that in accordance with section 3.3 in the > Developer Distribution Agreement, any users who installed the free > version of your application ****are entitled to upgrades of that free > version for no extra charge****. "Upgrades...for no extra charge" suggests any new version even one with additional features must remain free to existing users of older versions. But clearly that is not what 3.3 requires and that is not what you are saying either. Right? Perhaps the language on http://market.android.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=138412&topic=15867 needs to be corrected/disambiguated? Thanks Jay From: David McLaughlin [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 7:45 PM To: Jay Subject: Re: [android-developers] Re: Charging for upgrading from free to paid version with new features I agree; the language could be confusing, and we will be updating. Thanks, David ------------end insert------------ So while there may be some wiggle room on the question of whether existing users are entitled to free upgrades, I think their current policy on converting free apps to paid (without going through the hoops of turning your free app into a trial version and releasing a new paid app) seems to be NO. Google, please reconsider this policy, it doesnt serve anyone particularly well. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
