The main repository is gone, but for good? The precarious situation of hosting paid Android apps finally caught up with pirating superstar Jesusxxx when he received an email from his host that said he was being shut down. I say superstar because you have to hand it to this guy for his (possibly misguided) determination to provide apps that normally cost money for a total of zero dollars. I also think it is safe to assume that he is looked upon as a sort of Robin Hood for those who aren’t willing or are not able to pay for apps in the Android Market.
For starters, let’s be really clear on one thing: stealing apps is bad, mmkay? A lot of developers and companies depend on this money to help support their projects. The staff at AndroidGuys tries to keep everyone informed on how to help give back to the community because it is just that important. However, the presence of this “black” market (I also enjoy his play on words) just demonstrates that there are at least two areas of the Android Market that still need some work.
The first major issue is that when a user buys an app they have 24 hours to make a decision as to whether or not they want to keep it. Now I don’t know about you guys, but even as a huge Android enthusiast, I simply cannot spend five straight hours deciding on my next Twitter client that I will depend on every single day. Perhaps this is where a longer testing time frame could be useful? Now if the user returns an app, they will definitely get their money back, but won’t be able to return it again in the future. So how about the next time you decide to give the app another shot it’s in the middle of a buggy version? Answer: you can still uninstall it, but you’re not going to get another refund. I do understand the logic of not wanting to have people buy and return their apps every day, but there should be some leniency support by the actual Market for situations like this. Sure some of the developers will work with you and give you a second refund if there’s a huge flaw, but not all, and that’s what’s important to remember here.
Second, and definitely just as important as the first, is the fact that many users from different counties/continents have great difficulty using the Android Market, if they even can. When I spoke to Jesusxxx, he mentioned that those people provide the highest number of requests for paid apps. Unfortunately, several countries have carriers that support Android devices, but not the transactions for Google Checkout or carrier billing–this results in a selection of zero paid apps. Awesome, right? No way! These people can’t even choose to purchase many of these outstanding applications because of geographic restrictions that are mostly out of their control. Even I have to admit that moving somewhere different to use an Android device might be going too far… actually, let me think about that, I do love Android . . .
To me, Jesusxxx’s repository seemed like a chance for people to test and re-test applications that they have already over-extended their refund policy on. It is unfortunate that this also means they can keep the apps for free and never pay any dues to the developer creating the magic on the other end. So my proposed solution to this: let’s find a better refund policy. Yes, I do realize that some people actually do just want to steal apps, but I’m trying to give the majority of my supportive audience the benefit of the doubt. Myself included, many Android users just don’t want to get stuck with broken software and others just want to be able to download the apps to begin with! When an app is paid for, there is absolutely no guarantee that it will be continually updated. Now how would a new policy for this would go about being implemented? Well, I wish I had all the answers here, but the real reason I decided to write about this sensitive subject is because I can see both sides.
How do you feel? Should people be trapped after one refund? Can you suggest a better refund policy? Please note: we’re not looking for piracy bashing, as we’ve already explored that topic and it’s unfairness to devs. Help AndroidGuys (and myself) discover the “happy medium” for the Android Market.
Thanks for your time, Jesusxxx.
Edit: Whatever you’re reading between the lines that implies I am pro-piracy, want everyone to get everything for free, and think piracy in any case is justified, is wrong. When I mentioned what his repository seemed like to me, I didn’t mean for myself. What I was trying to get at is: the people using it view it as a place to test apps–or a place to steal them, as I also noted. Nowhere in my post am I trying to say these reasons justify theft. I am regurgitating the reasons that were given to me when I asked why this repo exists. And lastly, I did not give him the Robin Hood nickname, it is another piece of relayed information.
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