The absolute gall of Apple to reject OP's submission repeatedly despite him providing differentiating features... but then to allow all those trash-tier blatant clones into the app store.
That's what infuriates me the most.
I think it's almost a given that you cannot charge for your app. A neighbor's adult daughter down the street told me (and this was perhaps eight years ago), "No one wants to even pay 99 cents for an app."
In-App purchase? Do people do that? Isn't that a little distasteful?
I just don't see a way to monetize your effort. And if you're going to essentially give it away, just make it web-based (like everyone's beloved Wordle).
> And if you're going to essentially give it away, just make it web-based (like everyone's beloved Wordle).
Oh, you bet I regret I didn't take that road.
So I went looking for an app and I must have reviewed close to 50, every single one had a "subscription". Now I get it, apps aren't easy to make and aren't free either, I get paying $2, $3, hell $5 or $10 for the app, but don't make me pay you $2.50 per month for all eternity.
Now I get subscriptions, I happily pay for Netflix, Spotify, and even some lesser known apps that have a subscription. But in every case those apps are providing me with a great value, 1Password is another great example. But to charge for a subscription to just use an offline app? No.
So, if they make you sign in to their service to use the app, you would be ok with a subscription? Do you want/expect that app to be updated/supported over time?
As someone who grew up with purchased box software followed by the pervasive availability of open source software, I severely dislike subscriptions for software products. In fact, auto-renew subscriptions in general are often a dark pattern IMHO. OTOH, I have to imagine that as a developer, if an app I produce is going to be used by 100 people, I can't financially sustain it by selling it for $2 one time. Also, if it's niche enough or novel enough to be difficult to reproduce, I can get away with a subscription.
I think you hit the nail on the head with "But in every case those apps are providing me with a great value." Each developer is effectively a small business trying to create a product in exchange for money. If they price it too high or have unlikeable terms, they lose customers.
It's not the magic trick, it's the marketing that makes or breaks a business.
A fair way would be the Apps wont be updated to include iOS (new) support. So after a few years if you decide to upgrade iOS, you will have to upgrade the Apps as well. Or basically buy the new version of App with upgrade pricing like you did in the old days.