Developers of around 16,000 Android apps on the Appstore had made use of the TestDrive service – not that many when you consider there are currently some 330,000 offerings in Amazon’s store. The company said in a statement that apps offering the TestDrive option will continue to be available and promoted within its store, only without TestDrive functionality. In addition, the TestDrive category has now been removed from the Appstore, and Amazon said it’s also stopped enabling the feature for new app submissions.
While many developers working today are more inclined to create free mobile software that includes in-app purchases, a number still hit the Appstore as paid-only offerings. For its part, Amazon occasionally launches limited-time promotions to take paid-for apps to a wider audience, with one offering $105 of apps for free turning up just last week (sorry, folks, it’s already over).
iOS app refunds
While Amazon’s Appstore has ditched TestDrive, Google’s Play Store continues to let Android users request a refund within two hours of purchasing an app. Meanwhile, toward the end of last year Apple started making it easier for Europe-based users to get refunds for apps purchased from its App Store.
However, some users noticed the app would still work on their device even after they received a refund. With some users reportedly building up their app collections via repeated download and refund requests, the tech company apparently started to issue warnings stating that repeated abuse of the system would lead to the reintroduction of the old system – which is the current system in the U.S. – where refund requests are evaluated by Apple on a case-by-case basis.
