How quickly reputation is lost - an Android case study
Posted by Christie Malry on April 27, 2011 at 9:53 pm
In the world of Android mobile phones, lots of essential software is provided not by the operating system itself but by third party programmers. The operating system doesn't provide an easy way to turn off mobile data, which can be problematic if you don't have an unlimited data plan or you are travelling in a foreign country. Under those circumstances it can be a very costly mistake to leave your phone connecting to the Internet via its 3G modem.
The de facto gold standard solution is a little fix called APNdroid. This tricks your phone by temporarily renaming its data settings so that it simply cannot connect when you don't want it to. When you want to connect again, it renames them back. APNdroid is so widely used that other software providers often provide hooks to it in their software so you can use them together.
Yet recently, APNdroid's author, Martin Adamek, has been trying to increase the meagre amount of advertising revenue he makes from APNdroid. He has been experimenting with different formats; each time this has pushed an 'update' through the Android Marketplace encouraging users to upgrade to the latest version. This has upset some users. But the very latest update has got them erupting in fury. Because, unlike previous versions, this one sticks an advertisement in the status bar once a day. When users click on the advertisement, it takes them to a webpage where they can buy ringtones.
Having been a very highly rated application, recent reviews have given it and its author a right kicking.
Martin has, to his credit, gone into damage limitation mode, firstly pointing out that users can pay for an ad-free version (although £1.50 is perhaps a bit steep for something that the operating system really ought to provide by itself), then dealing with disgruntled customers on Twitter.
But a lot of users will just walk away and, if Martin ever decides to revert to a less intrusive system, they'll never see it. Alternatives to APNdroid are now available, including one that looks virtually identical to it. Having become the market leader, it's just possible that he's squandered his advantage by getting just a bit too greedy.
For the technically minded, the offending service is called Airpush, which has an extensive list of questions and answers about its service here. Curiously, they don't seem to have an answer to "Will Airpush irritate my users and get them to uninstall my software in rage?"
Hi Christie,
yes, I think there are some lessons learned. Bad ratings on Market is just beginning, few minutes ago I got email from Google that APNdroid was suspended from Market because due to violating some policy (don't know exactly which, unfortunately).
I just want to make point that I would never publish app (or app update) where I would knowingly break some rules. I think that we will see push ads directly from Google in very soon future and somehow I think that regular TV ad that takes whole screen for several minutes in the middle of the movie is much worse, people jus got used to it.
Anyway, I will work with Google to get things right, whatever that will mean.
-Martin
This is ridiculous -- I use APNDroid and how is the owner supposed to make money from normal ads since the app is a widget on the phone's desktop and not used like a normal app?
What's wrong with the developer making a return on his investment in providing a great free app for users.
Christie-
Sounds like you're not really sure why this developer's app was really suspended. I'm not defending either side, however I am a proponent of anything new and innovative that better monetizes mobile apps. This will bring better content and more talent to the space.
As Martin mentioned above, these 'push ads' are something you may see more frequently in the future. Are they for everyone? No, but neither is any type of advertising. It's all the same. Let's not punish APNdroid for their monetization efforts- they're still awesome.