How do trial apps work?

[littlesteelo16]

I am planning on getting a windows phone, and was wondering how the trial apps in the marketplace work. Are they time limited, or are they simply a cut down version of the full app?

 

[Dave Blake]

More of a cut down something you'll want is missing usually the coolest part of the app

 

[selfcreation]

like BIG D5 Said

ether

- your missing parts of the features
- or it can give you FULL access for limited time
- it can give you FULL access but with adds. (which is the free version but still considered trial on some apps )

 

[joemd60]

I have an issue with trial apps. They should give full use for a limited time, so you can decide whether or not you want it.

 

[jimski]

I have an issue with trial apps. They should give full use for a limited time, so you can decide whether or not you want it.

I asked this question last year and the explanation I got from a dev was that the app had no way of maintaining a date/clock register within the app, so no easy way to use a date/time countdown. That may have changed with the new APIs that came with Mango. Not sure.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[thed]

I asked this question last year and the explanation I got from a dev was that the app had no way of maintaining a date/clock register within the app, so no easy way to use a date/time countdown. That may have changed with the new APIs that came with Mango. Not sure.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

I haven't tried it myself, but I don't see why devs couldn't keep track of the time. The events to do this are already there. Just check the time on Application_Launching or Application_Activated and compare it to the time on Application_Deactivated / Application_Closing. Unless I'm missing something, that seems pretty simple to me.

 

[trafandtravel]

The way the trial works its completely up to the developer. My trials are always fully featured, but you can only use them 5 times for example.

 

[selfcreation]

I haven't tried it myself, but I don't see why devs couldn't keep track of the time. The events to do this are already there. Just check the time on Application_Launching or Application_Activated and compare it to the time on Application_Deactivated / Application_Closing. Unless I'm missing something, that seems pretty simple to me.

yeah there a problem with that doh ...

if you chaneg the time/date on your device you could have the TIME Trial for ever.....

they did that with BB apps and caused allot of Piracy problems. . (not sure if ti works with WP , but i dont see why it wouldnt )

Think best bet si FULL features , but can only use a maximum of 5/10/15 times ..ect…

 

[Jay Bennett]

Yeah as others have said, you can pretty much reference a conditional of "isTrial" when you're writing apps, and decide whether or not this part of the code will be accessible because of it.

The problem with going time or number-of-use based is that all a user has to do is uninstall your app and then download it from the marketplace again to re-start their trial. Which is why Microsoft recommends you close off certain parts of the code in a trial situation.

Obviously I prefer the unlimited time/number of uses but with adverts model, then lock out a few features that go above and beyond what you might expect for free.

 

[joemd60]

I asked this question last year and the explanation I got from a dev was that the app had no way of maintaining a date/clock register within the app, so no easy way to use a date/time countdown. That may have changed with the new APIs that came with Mango. Not sure.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

I have seen apps that have like a 3 day trial period. Sometimes whe you pay for an app to see the full version, you discover you don't like it.

 

[jimski]

I have seen apps that have like a 3 day trial period. Sometimes whe you pay for an app to see the full version, you discover you don't like it.

Again, pre-Mango I believe there was no database capability within an app, so I don't think they could record occurrences or start/end times. Some apps with time/day limits connected to a server, which could track your events. I do remember an app with a time limit that I used for about 4 months before finally couging up the 0.99. Simply forgot it was still a trial.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[joemd60]

Again, pre-Mango I believe there was no database capability within an app, so I don't think they could record occurrences or start/end times. Some apps with time/day limits connected to a server, which could track your events. I do remember an app with a time limit that I used for about 4 months before finally couging up the 0.99. Simply forgot it was still a trial.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

Thanks jimski, I was not questioning your theory. I should have made myself more clear. In the past with phones I have had, I have seen apps with trial periods.
For example when I had my Blackberry, Berryweather was an app with a 3 day trial period, then you had to buy it.
But at least you had use of the full version so you can decide if you like it or not,
I just think its a good idea.
It's not a big deal, like the saying goes. It is what it is.