The developer behind Today Calendar o is dropping some depressing numbers about how rampant piracy remains on Android.
In a + post ck Underwood says 85 percent of the installations of his $5.99 calendar app are not paid downloads from ay.
The numbers are even more depressing for Monument Valley, a popular mobile game on both Android iOS. Recently the team behind the puzzler said only five percent of installations on Android were legitimate.
This contrasts sharply with the iOS version, which saw a 60 percent rate of piracy. Neither number is encouraging however, indicating that both Apple must do more to help developers protect their work.
ile traditional tools to push back involve using in-app upgrades or encrypting certain features, Underwood is taking a more unorthodox approach: annoying the pirates. He’s programmed the app to drop in rom, pirate-themed events if the app determines the installation wasn’t from a legit source (pictured).
+ Calendar o users who pirates the app are going to get some surprises.
Ironically neither the devs behind Today Calendar o nor Monument Valley were all that upset by the piracy figures. Underwood told Torrent Freak that he doesn’t see it as lost revenue, as those who pirate would find a way to do so anyway.
“Fighting piracy in a traditional way is a waste of time in my eyes, software will get cracked anyway. The majority of people who pirate my apps wouldn’t have bought them anyway, so it’s not as if I’m losing 85% of my revenue. In any event, I’d rather spend that time making Today more awesome.”
The Monument Valley team tweeted that the piracy “was to be expected” chalked it up to the cost of doing business.
Developers rarely release such numbers, which makes it difficult to get a more detailed picture as to how much piracy is impacting other apps games. Another factor is that developers are increasingly using the free-to-play model for their Android version instead of requiring payment upfront. ile it’s not foolproof, it’s more difficult for pirates to crack.
An example is Badl. The game is $3.99 in the App Store, but free in ay with an in-app purchase to unlock all of the levels.
y this matters: en you combine piracy with Android’s fragmentation it’s easy to see why small or independent developers think twice about building an app for the platform. rge companies have the resources to work through these issues, but many times the most innovative interesting apps come from small teams or one-person shops.
