{"id":31692,"date":"2021-02-19T16:42:57","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T21:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=31692"},"modified":"2021-02-22T15:57:29","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T20:57:29","slug":"unhelpful-app-store-e-mail-receipts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/19\/unhelpful-app-store-e-mail-receipts\/","title":{"rendered":"Unhelpful App Store E-mail Receipts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tyler Hall<\/a> (tweet<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\n

It’s always difficult to tell when Apple charges you for something and what it was for. Because unlike every other online retailer, they queue up email receipts for an indeterminate amount of time.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Huh. I have no idea what that receipt is for.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is because, surprisingly, receipts don’t say which app the subscription is associated with.<\/p>\n\n

\n

Sure enough, the Apple ID in 12px font is for my 68-year-old mother. It was her purchase!<\/p>\n

But I still have no idea what the app is. And I’m very suspicious because there’s basically zero chance she would ever willingly spend $39.99 on an app. Much less one that automatically renews.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

The Order ID link doesn’t open anything in Mail.app on iOS.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

On the Mac, it eventually leads to the Music<\/em> app.<\/p>\n\n

\n

But there’s no way to search for your purchases. And even if you could, what would you search for? Apple’s receipt didn’t give you any meaningful information. Your only option is to scroll the list and see if you recognize the receipt’s app icon.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Let’s tap the “DOCUMENT NO.” link. (Now, if you’re a developer like me, you know exactly what comes next and why.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

iOS thinks it’s a phone number.<\/p>\n\n

\n

In the email receipt on my desktop browser, clicking the “Write a Review” link opens Chrome and once again asks if I want to open Music.app. Sure.<\/p>\n

And there it is. Inside Music.app, right next to all my music playlists, the App Store page loads, and I can see my mom signed up for an automatically renewing $39.99 a year subscription for…<\/p>\n

…a white noise app.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

It may seem like innocuous onboarding steps, but I know for a fact - based on what comes next - that this developer is already using a dark pattern to trick customers into subscribing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Jeff Johnson<\/a>:<\/p>\n

pologists: “iOS App Store lockdown is necessary to protect people like your mother who aren’t computer experts.”<\/p>

your mother: [scammed by iOS App Store]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Paul Haddad<\/a>:<\/p>\n

I think most people would agree that $40\/year for a white noise app is a troublesome price. But does anyone want Apple deciding what fair prices are? I’d say no, but then again $40\/year…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n