Question on Pricing and trial version

Question

Hi,

This is a two part question:

(1) Can publishers choose to change the price once the app is submitted and available in market place? Can a free app be charged later and vice versa?

(2) Do all paid apps required to have a trial mode?

Thanks,

Rohit

Answer 1

Hello Rohits79HK,

Thank you for your interest in developing apps. To answer your questions, yes you can submit a trial version of an app. You have the option to designate how long you want the trial version to last. However, you cannot automatically charge a customer. They must have the option to buy it if they choose or just use the trial version until it expires.

On the second question, no, all paid apps do not need to have a trial version. However, it is encouraging from a customer perspective to be able to try it before they buy it but it is not a requirement for certification.

Have a look at the Certification Requirements for Windows Store apps and also have a look at this blog on licensing your app. Both have great information that may be able to give you some insight on how you would like to offer your app to customers. I hope this helps!

Thanks,

Jesse

Answer 2

Thanks, looking forward to the answer to my first question. 

Answer 3

Rohits79HK,

I apologize, maybe I wasn't very clear in answering your first question. Yes, you can charge for an app at a later date but you must give the user the option to buy it or simply use the trial version until it expires. You cannot auto-charge a customer for an app. If they download it as a free app or a trial app, then they must give consent before you charge them for anything. If anything is unclear, please let me know and I will try to provide more detail.

Thanks,

Jesse

Answer 4

Thanks Jesse. That was helpful.

Lastly, can i also ask if I can change the price from say 2.50 USD to 1.50 USD, or can I make my app totally free for a given period of time for promotion but charge there after?

Answer 5

Yes, you can change the pricing.  However you will need to resubmit an app update.  You can also make your app free with a limited trial time.  At which time the consumer can then choose to pay for the full version.  Please review the following.  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh694084.aspx

Thanks-