Going Subscription

Posted 6 years, 31 weeks ago.

The first release of GIFwrapped included just one in-app purchase, the ability to disable ads. It also shipped with a pretty significant bug that meant ads were never actually shown, regardless of whether or not you purchased the upgrade. As it turns out, people still paid for it, and there were a number of comments and reviews explaining that they did so to support the app, even though they had never actually seen an ad.

This has stuck with me throughout GIFwrapped’s life. I’m still incredibly grateful to anybody who ever purchased an upgrade. In my mind, it’s the ultimate form of showing support: people (maybe you?) were willing to part with money and invest in the product I made. I’m so very honoured by that.

Over the past six months or so, I’ve been contemplating a big change: making the switch to a subscription pricing model. It’s no small thing; even just deciding to go for it was an heckin’ ordeal and a half.

One of the really obvious reasons behind my hesitance is that, over the past year or so, I’ve watched other apps move towards a subscription model… with varying levels of hostility being tossed at them because of it. I just know there’s gonna be that one guy who emails me because I DARE to sully GIFwrapped with this kind of nonsense, accusing me of making a grab for more money.

The truth is, yeah… I am making a play for more money. I know GIFwrapped is just a dumb GIF app—that’s part of the reason it took me so long to do this—but I want it to earn more, so I can afford to throw the requisite time at it.

That said, I’m also trying to show the gratitude and respect I have for those who have already purchased upgrades in the past, so it’s important to note that anyone who purchased the one-time upgrades in the past will continue to get access to the features they already purchased going forward.

As far as “All the Things” (the forever unlock option) is concerned, you’ll continue to get all new premium features, ongoing, forever. No subscription required (or even possible, anyway). This was always the spirit behind the upgrade, and honouring that intention is something I feel is the right thing to do here, no matter how boneheaded a decision it was for past-Jelly to offer such a thing.

In the end, this is not just a ploy for more money. It’s the simple matter of keeping things afloat. If you want to support the app, and my attempts to work on it: that’s cool. I’d really appreciate your subscription. If you can’t afford it, don’t think it’s worth the extra couple of bucks per year, simply don’t want to subscribe, or really just kinda hate me for some reason: that’s cool too. You do what you gotta.

You’ve all been a part of supporting this crazy ride so far, and regardless of how you feel about this move, I want to thank you for that. I really hope you’ll stick around, and I’ll do everything I can to make this one small thing the best damn thing it can be.