Infinity Blade had some of the best graphics on the iPhone, even after years without updates.
On Monday, Epic Games, creator of the Unreal Engine, Unreal Tournament, and, most popularly, Fortnite, removed the Infinity Blade series from the App Store. Infinity Blade was the original “Look at what the iPhone can do!” game. It showcased breathtaking graphics, action packed gameplay, and fantastic frame rates. It proved that the iPhone could be a place for serious games, and developers could charge more premium prices for their apps.
However, by removing the three games from the App Store, Epic proved that we should be reluctant to pay for more expensive apps on the App Store. Upgrading your phone could mean losing the apps and games you’ve paid for. Fortunately, for some apps, there’s a solution. For most, you’re out of luck.
How Apple Makes Paying for Apps Difficult
I’ve paid an ungodly amount for the keyboard I’m typing this on. I really don’t want to say how much. But I did so knowing it will last me for many, many, many years… or, until I get board and decide to build or order a new one. When you buy something, especially when you pay more than usual for something, you expect it to last. But smartphone apps don’t give us that peace of mind. Apple can remove apps from the App Store, as can developers. That would be fine, if you could still get those apps years later.
When you upgrade iPhones, you likely restore from an iCloud backup. This doesn’t include apps. In fact, iTunes backups don’t store apps anymore either. As a result, you have to download those apps from the App Store. It’s part of the upgrade process, and usually not an issue. However, if an app is no longer on the App Store, or hasn’t been updated recently enough, you can’t get it. Then you’ll have lost the app forever.
Phones have evolved quickly, more quickly than desktops. Software written for the Mac ten years ago will still work today. But when it comes to the iPhone, an app written just a few years ago won’t run on the latest versions of iOS or the latest iPhones. As a result, any money spent on them is gone. This makes mobile apps a poor investment.
How to Recover Some Removed Apps
Note that, while freshly removed Infinity Blade games are still available for download, Flappy Bird is not.
Once a developer stops working on an app, it could become unusable in future versions of iOS or the iPhone. Still, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to download it, in case you’d like to use it on an older version of iOS. It seems as though you can still recover recently deleted apps, likely ones that are still compatible with the latest version of iOS, but a time limit could also be involved.
To do so, you want to go to the App Store on your iOS device. From there, tap on the photo of you (or user icon) in the upper-right corner. Then, in your account view, tap Purchased. From here, you can find apps you’ve downloaded or purchased, including ones that are no longer in the app store or on your phone. Depending on the age of the app, you may be able to download some of them. Many old apps simply won’t be available for download, but you might luck out!
What Should Apple Do? Inspire Confidence.
If consumers aren’t willing to pay premium prices for apps, we’ll stop getting premium apps and games. Then we’ll be stuck with subscription services and exploitative and boring freemium titles. Creativity on the platform, a primary reason to choose iOS over Android, would die.
So what should Apple do to protect users and enable developers? They need to work to keep consumers confident in their purchases. They can ensure that, even if developers stop working on apps, the apps will continue to be available on the App Store. Apple can work with developers who wish to remove an app. They can ask the developer to potentially make the app or game open source, so Apple can recompile the apps in the future. They could also reach out to developers who have abandoned apps in the past and ask if they’d be willing to recompile it to work with newer operating systems. Sometimes, it’s as easy as making a new build in Xcode, and most engineers would be willing to at least try it.
Finally, Apple should have a money back guarantee. They could offer a full refund within the first few hours of downloading an app or game. Furthermore, Apple could offer up to a 50% App Store credit for games or apps over $9.99 that developers discontinued after less than two years.
If users know that their apps will always be available, they can get a partial refund if they’re not, and that they can get a refund if they’re displeased with a purchase, they’ll be more willing to spend money. Apple may take a hit when giving refunds based on apps that developers pull after only a year, but the confidence they’ll inspire will make up for it in sales. For long term profits, Apple should focus on keeping their customers happy and confident when spending money on apps.