Apple Subscriptions - Fixing a Hostile Consumer Experience

I know Apple cares about my experience as a customer beyond just the UX of an app or the physical design of a device or even the packaging. It's this care about me, my privacy, me experience that keeps me as such a loyal fanboy.
I have been posting a lot on LinkedIn these days and LinkedIn extended an offer for a free trial of LinkedIn Premium. The offer said, “After your one month trial, we will automatically charge you….” I figured I wouldn’t do it. It seemed obvious it was going to require my credit card and then the only way I could cancel would be to call them. That is the standard, user-hostile approach to subscription retention. Even in my teenage years, as someone who DESPISED calling on the phone, I was able to work up the courage from time-to-time to do the free AOL trial and then end the month with the 20 minute phone call to cancel.
For the LinkedIn offer I curiously tapped and saw that it was an App Store subscription. “Oh, done!” I thought. For an App Store subscription I don’t have provide LinkedIn my credit card. I was able to do the subscription, and then immediately after the trial started I could cancel the subscription with Apple without ever having to call anyone. I get to experience this trial and I have 100% faith that I’m not going to get charged because I forget to cancel later. Thanks Apple! Love it.
It's an example Apple at it's greatest. Find a bad user experience, in the case a very common hostile user experience, and banish it. You want to play in the App Store ecosystem of subscriptions then you have to play fair with your consumers.

Popular posts from this blog

Cribbage and the Python

Tools Exist to Be Used—AI is No Different

Should You Offer a Dry Promotion?