1. serbanescu's Avatar
    SPYWARE You Pay For
    By
    CandlesnKisses
    2015-02-12
    This app says it "requires access to your files and photos" or it will not run. There is absolutely no reason it should need these things! Its spying on you for the developer. I will be requesting a refund.
    The above text is the latest review of our Calorie Monitor App

    If the user calling himself (or most probably herself) "CandlesnKisses" would have bothered to read the app description in BlackBerry World, he/she would have found the following:

    IMPORTANT NOTICE: Access to your phone's file system is requested in order to let you backup /restore your data (that helps you in case you want to use it on other device). The app does not access the Internet, therefore you can be sure that it does not collect any data from your phone. Your device security and privacy are not in any way violated by Calorie Monitor Pro.
    With the dwindling number of visitors of BlackBerry World these days, it's not hard to understand how damaging this review will be for the app.

    This is just an example of how irresponsible many people are while posting reviews, with a total disregard for the hard work of developers. I have tons of other examples encountered over the years, most of them related to apps developed by others. Look here to see how many are complaining that the app doesn't work, even if the first thing stated in the app description says
    This app requires root access and will only run on devices with Qualcomm chipset.
    One should be aware that behind every app there are people that worked (in many cases hard) to make them. The vast majority of apps on all the platforms are not recovering the money put into them, but too often users that pay nothing or almost nothing for these apps (less than the price of a cup o coffee, anyway) feel entitled to trash them at the first little frustration encountered.

    Prior to posting a review, my advice is to do the following:

    1. Read the app description carefully, before buying. Do not trash a product just because you didn't have the patience to see if it really is what you are looking for.

    2. Send an email stating your problem to the support address. You may find more often than not that your problem can be solved. If you post your question as a review, there is no way for the developer (on BlackBerry World, at least) to reach you back with an answer

    3. Please take into consideration that while you are using someone's product for free of practically free, the impact of your review on the revenue generated by the app is many times higher than what you paid for the app. Make sure that what you are stating is a fact, not just an angry reaction to a momentary misunderstanding.

    4. In general, be aware that those making the apps are people, too, many of them putting honest efforts in creating good products - like yourselves are doing in your work. The majority of apps are made by individual devs or small outfits, not giant, impersonal corporations, where the concrete results of personal work are diluted by working in teams of hundreds. You need to be treated with respect in your work. Well, so are the devs.
    Last edited by serbanescu; 02-13-15 at 02:09 PM.
    02-13-15 12:13 PM
  2. Umaima_B_Dia's Avatar
    Agreed to the T. People abuse the review section, when the issue is entirely their own ignorance and inability to read/take proper steps to solve issues.

    The developers are very helpful in 99.99 percent cases (ones that I have come across personally).
    Abrar0z likes this.
    02-13-15 12:21 PM
  3. paulwallace1234's Avatar
    Welcome to the world of developing, it's the same on every single Platform, I was hammered on Symbian (Nokia Store) by people which didn't bother to read the Apps description.
    jmr1015 and inmobisoft like this.
    02-13-15 12:26 PM
  4. Umaima_B_Dia's Avatar
    Welcome to the world of developing, it's the same on every single Platform, I was hammered on Symbian (Nokia Store) by people which didn't bother to read the Apps description.
    Exactly! I have seen it there as well. Happens generally, in online stores as well.
    02-13-15 12:36 PM
  5. serbanescu's Avatar
    Welcome to the world of developing, it's the same on every single Platform, I was hammered on Symbian (Nokia Store) by people which didn't bother to read the Apps description.
    I know it's on every platform, I think we should talk more often about it.

    Firstly, many people are simply not aware of the consequences of their actions, they are treating the reviews more like a way to vent their frustration with some trifle than to offer some info to other users or a feedback for developers.

    Secondly, we should speak openly against this entitlement culture that makes the users expect a perfect product for free or little money, anything less than perfect getting so often the "Crap!" label. The thing keeping the prices so low is the almost perfectly competitive market that an app store offers, and the low entry barriers - and these conditions obscure the real costs involved in app development.

    What I want with these posts is to make people more aware of the fact that they really are getting more than they are paying for (if any) - and they should give a fair treatment to those that give them those products.
    Dave Bourque likes this.
    02-13-15 12:48 PM
  6. endevour's Avatar
    “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
    ― Albert Einstein

    It's painful to read such "reviews" but I am afraid there is no cure for that...
    02-13-15 01:30 PM
  7. ZedMacahan's Avatar
    Maybe developers should have the option to reply to reviews just like people have in most other forums.
    02-13-15 01:56 PM
  8. serbanescu's Avatar
    Maybe the developers should have the option to reply to reviews just like people have in most other forums.
    I agree, that would solve at least part of the problem.
    02-13-15 01:57 PM
  9. paulwallace1234's Avatar
    Maybe the developers should have the option to reply to reviews just like people have in most other forums.
    Yes we should have that, Google Play does
    02-13-15 01:58 PM
  10. AnimalPak200's Avatar
    I feel your frustration.

    Most likely it's a combination of:

    - the anonymity afforded by the internet (most people would never say in person what they say on the internet)

    - the low price of apps means buyers don't "think about it" or "research" that much before they press the green button.

    - there has ALWAYS been a very low regard of the "value" of software (or even media) from the mass consumer, as compared to tangible goods. This is likely due to the fact that most users have never even bothered to think about how anything works inside their shiny boxes. In fact, the better things work, the less people appreciate them working,.. but the more they will criticize when they falter.

    I can't even imagine developing 'apps' (maybe they should stop calling them that) targeted at the generation raised by Apple and Google.

    Posted via CB10
    02-13-15 02:13 PM
  11. serbanescu's Avatar
    I feel your frustration.

    Most likely it's a combination of:

    - the anonymity afforded by the internet (most people would never say in person what they say on the internet)

    - the low price of apps means buyers don't "think about it" or "research" that much before they press the green button.

    - there has ALWAYS been a very low regard of the "value" of software (or even media) from the mass consumer, as compared to tangible goods. This is likely due to the fact that most users have never even bothered to think about how anything works inside their shiny boxes. In fact, the better things work, the less people appreciate them working,.. but the more they will criticize when they falter.

    I can't even imagine developing 'apps' (maybe they should stop calling them that) targeted at the generation raised by Apple and Google.

    Posted via CB10
    I agree with all the above
    02-13-15 02:20 PM
  12. ESCON's Avatar
    Maybe developers should have the option to reply to reviews just like people have in most other forums.
    i am not a dev so i have no clue , but why dont you open up a thread on a nice BB fan forum ... lets say CB there you can show your app and put in a link to at the app description in BB-world beside your email. so then ppl can come here to talk about your app with you ?
    that will not stop them from asking you questions in the BB-world but hey you got nothing to lose and you can also put a video here in your thread showing us your app.
    02-13-15 02:22 PM
  13. OneofLittleHarmony's Avatar
    Obviously these people should be using apples where everything just works. *coughchokedie*

    Posted via CB10
    02-13-15 02:23 PM
  14. ZedMacahan's Avatar
    The funny thing is (if it can be that). Probably the same user afraid of a "spying app" is posting a lot of his/hers daily activities on Facebook.
    serbanescu likes this.
    02-13-15 02:23 PM
  15. serbanescu's Avatar
    The funny thing is (if it can be that). Probably the same user afraid of a "spying app" is posting a lot of his/hers daily activities on Facebook.
    this was the answer my wife gave me when I have told her about the issue
    ZedMacahan likes this.
    02-13-15 02:26 PM
  16. sk8er_tor's Avatar
    I agree. Step 1 should always be to contact the developer for help BEFORE posting a negative review.
    Umaima_B_Dia and JG_Agustin like this.
    02-13-15 02:33 PM
  17. dbmalloy's Avatar
    OP should change the title to "Quit being lazy when purchasing Apps``... as it has little to do with being aggressive and everything to do with our ADD society... very few people bother to read anything... TOS.... License agreements... product description.... installation instructions... the list goes on.... So when something goes wrong.... blame the dev or product .... never look at oneself.....
    Umaima_B_Dia likes this.
    02-13-15 02:37 PM
  18. wincyUt's Avatar
    Hate to say this, but some apps are simply requesting for too much access to people's device info. Some request are unnecessary IMHO.
    02-13-15 04:06 PM
  19. conite's Avatar
    Hate to say this, but some apps are simply requesting for too much access to people's device info. Some request are unnecessary IMHO.
    Then don't allow the permission and see if it still works.

    Most people don't understand (I'm not saying you - just generalising) what these permissions even are. It sounds menacing when an app asks for complete access to your file system, but all it really wants to do is save your work - for which it needs file access.

    Z30STA100-5/10.3.1.2267
    02-13-15 04:17 PM
  20. paulwallace1234's Avatar
    Then don't allow the permission and see if it still works.

    Most people don't understand (I'm not saying you - just generalising) what these permissions even are. It sounds menacing when an app asks for complete access to your file system, but all it really wants to do is save your work - for which it needs file access.

    Z30STA100-5/10.3.1.2267
    Exactly, mine for example, Nightly Clock, actually needs File Access to save settings, it uses the Qt Quick Local Storage database which doesn't work without file access.
    02-13-15 04:23 PM
  21. wincyUt's Avatar
    Then don't allow the permission and see if it still works.

    Most people don't understand (I'm not saying you - just generalising) what these permissions even are. It sounds menacing when an app asks for complete access to your file system, but all it really wants to do is save your work - for which it needs file access.

    Z30STA100-5/10.3.1.2267
    Frankly when I am not comfortable with the request, I don't allow the permission and I don't use the app either. I got no time to make comments or reviews for apps anyway.
    02-13-15 04:24 PM
  22. AnimalPak200's Avatar
    Hate to say this, but some apps are simply requesting for too much access to people's device info. Some request are unnecessary IMHO.
    The real issue stems from the broad permission "categories" imposed by the OS/dev environment. As the OP said,.. the app needs to save (and later read) some data in a folder in your device memory. The OS lumps that into the "shared files" permission, which includes access to every unrelated image or document in the device.

    Same with device identifying info. The app may just need one unique number for whatever database it uses to serve it's contents. Yet the broad permission opens up all sorts of unnecessary info.

    So maybe instead of simply relying on a dev being honest within the app description about what they do with each permission (which users rarely read),.. the OS should provide for "folder level" or "object level" permission requesting/granting).

    When you open the device manager, it would tell you: this app has access to shared files in: /external_sd/this_app/, and your device: 'PIN'.


    Posted via CB10
    02-13-15 04:26 PM
  23. wincyUt's Avatar
    The real issue stems from the broad permission "categories" imposed by the OS/dev environment. As the OP said,.. the app needs to save (and later read) some data in a folder in your device memory. The OS lumps that into the "shared files" permission, which includes access to every unrelated image or document in the device.

    Same with device identifying info. The app may just need one unique number for whatever database it uses to serve it's contents. Yet the broad permission opens up all sorts of unnecessary info.

    So maybe instead of simply relying on a dev being honest within the app description about what they do with each permission (which users rarely read),.. the OS should provide for "folder level" or "object level" permission requesting/granting).

    When you open the device manager, it would tell you: this app has access to shared files in: /external_sd/this_app/, and your device: 'PIN'.


    Posted via CB10
    What you have just said makes sense. Unfortunately the "permission requests" are still broad or vague. Something has to be done to make users more trusting and comfortable....
    02-13-15 04:33 PM
  24. conite's Avatar
    What you have just said makes sense. Unfortunately the "permission requests" are still broad or vague. Something has to be done to make users more trusting and comfortable....
    Even as is, it's infinitely better than any other platforms where you can't adjust the permissions at all.

    Z30STA100-5/10.3.1.2267
    02-13-15 04:42 PM
  25. wincyUt's Avatar
    Even as is, it's infinitely better than any other platforms where you can't adjust the permissions at all.

    Z30STA100-5/10.3.1.2267
    My statements are intended for any platform. So it's not a "half baked" is better than "nothing" issue. Simply, there are two sides to the coin.
    02-13-15 04:55 PM
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