If Apple did not have as many iPhones and iPads in the market as they do now, the walled garden approach they have towards iOS apps probably wouldn’t work, but it does simply because developers know that there is money to be made by developing apps for iOS users, and they have no choice but to comply with Apple’s rules if they hope to make it.However just because they agree to these rules doesn’t mean that they’re happy about it, so much so that a small group of developers have recently banded together to form what they are calling The Developer Union. It seems that they are hoping that by working together as a collective, they will be able to convince Apple to make some changes to the App Store to help allow them to make a better living off it.
One of the changes that the developers are asking for is for Apple to allow developers to offer free trials for users. This is something that even iOS users have been asking for, so it is unclear as to why Apple has resisted that feature. “Today, we are asking Apple to publicly commit — by the tenth anniversary of the App Store this July — to allowing free trials for all apps in the App Stores before July 2019.”
When asked why is free trials the first agenda on the list, the union says, “Free trials are a great place to start and gather the momentum needed to create significant change. Trials allow developers to show users their creation and establish value. Before iOS, Mac developers relied heavily on free trials, and they were able to make a living while making great software.”
They also state that following that, they are hoping to have a conversation with Apple regarding a more “reasonable revenue cut” and other developer-friendly changes. Whether or not Apple will listen remains to be seen, but so far at least 407 apps have publicly announced their support for the cause.