Iβve been diving into the Mona 7 upgrade controversy, specifically the requirement for Mona 6 Pro users to buy a "Bridge Upgrade" to Pro Max ($10) in the old app just to unlock the *privilege* of buying the Ultra One-Time Purchase ($20) in the new app.
While a developer is absolutely allowed to release a new App ID and charge for it (that is standard practice), this specific "Bridge Purchase" mechanism appears to violate Apple's App Store Review Guidelines in two critical ways.
If you are frustrated by this, here is the technical breakdown of why this flow is likely non-compliant:
1. Violation of Guideline 3.1.1 (In-App Purchase Mechanics) The core rule of IAP is that purchases must be for content/features *consumed within the app*.
Guideline 3.1.1 states: "Apps may not use their own mechanisms to unlock content or functionality... Apps and their metadata may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase."
By forcing users to buy an upgrade in Mona 6 (App A) specifically to unlock a price tier in Mona 7 (App B), the developer is effectively selling a "coupon" or "license key" for a different app. * The $10 spent in Mona 6 is not primarily for Mona 6 features (since the user is abandoning that app for Mona 7); it is a fee paid in App A to modify the behavior of App B. * Apple historically rejects apps that sell access to other apps. The "Loyalty Discount" should be native to Mona 7 (e.g., detecting the Mona 6 receipt), not gatekept behind a fresh paywall in a deprecated binary.
2. Violation of Guideline 2.3 (Accurate Metadata & Misleading Terms) This is the "Bait and Switch" clause.
Guideline 2.3.1 states: "Customers should know what theyβre getting when they download or buy your app... Donβt include any hidden or undocumented features in your app."
When users bought Mona 6 Pro as a "One-Time Purchase," the reasonable expectation was a perpetual license for that major version. By creating a *new* tier (Pro Max) and retroactively declaring it the *only* tier eligible for future loyalty benefits, the developer has obfuscated the value of the original purchase. * Forcing a user to upgrade a "dead" product (Mona 6) to access the "live" product (Mona 7) is a "Junk Fee" structure that confuses the purchase flow and misleads users about the true cost of the upgrade ($11.99 original + $10 bridge + $20 new app = $41.99 total, vs the advertised $20).
The Bottom Line: The developer has every right to charge $20 for Mona 7. They do NOT have the right to force you to spend $10 in Mona 6 to "unlock" that button.
If this flow remains, it sets a dangerous precedent where developers can tax users in legacy apps to gatekeep access to new ones. The "Loyalty Offer" should be available to *all* paid Mona 6 users, or the upgrade path should be handled entirely within Mona 7.
@EJGilbert This is a lot of my Frustration. Like Iβve said a bit before on this topic, this is less now that Iβm hearing the upgrade to seven will be an option, but my question on that is for how long? When I bought the app, it very clearly said this would be a one time purchase. So in my opinion, it should remain that for me because that's the plan I paid for. I also shouldnβt have to buy Max just to get seven, if I hypothetically wanted it. You want to charge for your other app, fine. I 100% respect that developing costs money and that you need to keep up costs. But at very least open up the alternate upgrade path to everyone who paid for six, not just those who paid for the highest tier of 6. If it'd initially had been made clear that a higher tier would give me access to discounts and alternate payment plans in the future, I mightβve considered it when buying the original product, but as I recall, this was never discussed or allotted for in any documentation of the original purchases. Do I think the price is excessive? I mean, for what it is, yeah, a little. My use case does not at all warrant spending 40 dollars so I can use my social media. But I think at this point my frustration is less with the high price and more with the ambiguous wording and hidden rules to this that come across a bit deceptive. The price isn't the thing I feel is scammy, the lack of options for pro users is what rubs me the wrong way.
@EJGilbert I also had some trouble articulating this, especially last night. Not only because I was very frustrated, which I own that, but also because I misunderstood how the upgrade actually works, which brings me to another point on this. Thereβs no central way to get this information. I donβt believe theyβve made a post anywhere Detailing what options every user has, how long the upgrade will be optional for, the future plans for the product, whatβs included in the new free version, etc. The lack of information caused huge amounts of misunderstanding on my part, and to be honest Iβm not even sure if I have it all right at this point. Combine this lack of centralized information with the scamy feeling pro stuff and this is the real source of my frustration. Iβve always really liked this developer and their apps, and I standby that fully that theyβve made a good product. But I donβt agree with the way theyβre going about their pricing plans, upgrades, and users they apparently value, or donβt value as it may b to get their discounts
@Kaliah the App Store guidelines seem to be rather specific on the point. If someone bought Mona pro in version 6, they should be treated the same as someone who purchased mona pro Max inversion six when it comes to the discount, otherwise itβs a potential violation of the App Store guidelines. My guess is the developers intent was to discontinue the Mona pro in Mona 7 and rename the Mona pro Max tier to Mona ultra plus offer a subscription option for three dollars a month that may supposedly replace Mona pro. Best case scenario is that the developer has very poor communication skills and worst case scenario is my whole entire attitude from yesterday on the subject. Iβve had time to do some additional research, thatβs why I specifically mentioned the relevant bits from the App Store review guidelines. οΏΌοΏΌ
I sincerely hope that the Dev is either miscommunicating or goes back on this choice. I do like and appreciate this dev, but I find it blatantly unfair that I should be forced into either A, buying an upgrade I donβt even want and that will ultimately have no further use to me to avoid a subscription model, or B, subscribing to a subscription model simply because I chose a lower tier in the past, which ultimately came down to the fact that I didnβt need any of the features in the higher tier, and didnβt see a reason to pointlessly spend money. But now since I quite reasonably chose a cheaper tier, which was readily available for a use case like mine, Iβm... being forced to spend more money long term on a subscription model or blow money now on something useless. It feels almost as if pro users are being punished/unfairly disadvantaged simply because they're pro users, and I'm hardly surprised that this mess violates some guideline in the app store.
@Kaliah thatβs the point I tried to make to the developer yesterday, but they tried to argue otherwise. In fact, they said that I can keep using Mona 6 as long as I want it without having to pay anything extra. Essentially, the way I interpreted that was your free to use a deprecated version of my application since you paid for it, but if you want to use the latest and greatest be prepared to pay up. No discount for you because you were a cheapskate. Sorry for putting it that way, but thatβs the way it felt to me. οΏΌοΏΌ
This is my view of it, too. I appreciate that they're leaving 6 as a technical option, most of my anger last night was because I thought they were not leaving it as an option and were forcing all their users to pay or leave. I likely will stay on 6 because the new features don't matter to me. That still doesn't solve the bait and switch problem for pro users who do want the upgrade, though
@Kaliah the sad thing about this whole entire debacle is that there is going to be some disabled folk out there who are going to go through the whole entire upgrade process, and then find out rather rudely that their peers paid less simply because they decided to spring for the promax/ultra upgrade path rather than the pro, promax, then ultra upgrade path. It boils my blood to think that people are going to be taking advantage of in this way if Apple doesnβt reject the app based on the potential violations that I pointed out οΏΌ
Whether itβs intentional or not, itβs bad form. Like I said, if they were going to do these loyalty discounts, they need to apply to everyone, or be stated very far in advance, like when the tiers were first established, which ones they applied to. If youβre going to do an exclusive deal like this, it needs to be stated very, very early on Which tiers will be eligible for your future loyalty discounts and offerings. Itβs not fair to any pro users for this sort of hidden perk to be applied to people in tiers above them, Iβm sure Iβm not the only one who mightβve chosen differently if this had been knowledge from the start
@Kaliah And if it's in fact true that this is a violation of Apple's terms has anyone made Apple aware of such? I thank you for trying to clarify what was frankly quite confusing even after one read about the forth coming app and what it did and did not offer. I laud your efforts.
I spent today modifying toys so they can be used by children with disabilities at Santaβs Little Hackers. What a cool group that puts on this event! A huge room with people sewing, disassembling, soldering, and testing adapted toys. santaslittlehackers.com
my name is ericjames*. i'm a 22-year-old furry from Queens, NY. i am asexual, aromantic, and non-binaryΒΉ. my pronouns are they/it. i have autism, ADHD, and non-24-hour sleepβwake disorderΒ².
the "online" in my username is no joke. i surf the web almost every waking hour of my life. sometimes i make things and put them up on the internet, such as memes and mashups.
i listen to all kinds of music, but especially heavy EDM, such as dubstep, trap, drum & bass, and hardstyle.
I am reading a book about gender ideology and class in pre-colonial Peru, and just finished a segment discussing how the word "supay" was originally a morally neutral term meaning spirit (add an adjective to make it refer to a bad or good or specific spirit) until the colonial religious authorities superimposed their ideological world view of an ultimate Good vs an ultimate Evil on the spiritual practices of the indigenous people they were colonizing. Anyway, this reminded me of the word "daemon" in Greek which was a morally neutral term meaning spirit (add an adjective to make it refer to a bad or good or specific spirit) and how that word is the origin of the word "demon" because Christianity of that time and place did the same to "pagan" religions of Europe as its descendant then did to the indigenous people of the Andes and elsewhere.
We say history doesn't repeat, it rhymes, but ideological machines that run for centuries really are just running exactly the same programs over and over again, so there is no poetry to the patterns we are lost inside. Just doing the same thing over and over again until we are brave enough to dismantle the machine that produces the pattern.
the real tea here? why hover chairs when you could be vibin' on a classic rocking pickle barrel? some traditions are meant to stay crispy in the crunch of time.
literally happens in the manga Witch Hat Atelier. One of the three highest ranking witches of the world has to be carried or just sit around because his mobility chair doesnβt work inside the kingβs castle.
Top (Windows 95): great contrast, obvious shapes. Instantly readable.
Middle (Windows 11): shapes are still self-explanatory, but contrast is gone.
Bottom (Windows 11 Insiders): what am I even looking at? The only shape I can understand here is the Run button. Barely visible, though.
Then, on the left, thereβs another something that says Run and has an icon. What is it? A window title? Another button? Why does it have to say Run twice? ... 1/3
After Russian strikes on Ukraineβs energy system, Moldova had to request emergency electricity support from Romania. A major energy group went offline, pushing interconnection lines to the limit. Romanian help prevented a grid overload, while Moldova urged citizens to cut consumption during peak hours to avoid blackouts.
Well, my Razer Kraken v3 X gaming headset is developing a crack in the headband. I got myself a little simple headset to replace it for now, but Iβve gotten used to having something a bit fancy. Any recommendations? Had to work with a Mac, and I prefer USB, but will consider wireless.
anyone have a guide for running 32 bit android apps on newer phones, without root or closed source apps? looking like my best bet is something like vmos but i'm not seeing any open source options...
unfortunately in my experience the android ecosystem is still very much closed-source. there's a few good open apps but it just doesn't seem like a space that gets a lot of love.
I encountered an LLM-based support assistant today that told me it couldn't answer my question because another, different LLM chatbot had an exclusive license/authority on that information, and I suddenly had a vivid vision of a previously unexplored layer of hell.
Trump says he's expanding the travel ban to 30+ countries, and if a country doesn't have a "stable government," it's on the list. I'm willing to bet all 30+ nations are:
1. Black or brown majority
2. Nations USA has intervened to destabilize their Govt
White supremacy continues to thrive in 2025 USA. Also funny how he thinks that the US government is stable. Is he putting himself on the ban list?π€
to stay in the terminology: but even the "white" countries he is aiming to attack/controll if they are not radical/fascist/nazi enough for his taste. Latest target of his adjustment tour is Europe, specifically EU, because they are constitutional democracies - protecting democracy & the rule of law - acting accordingly. The buffoon FOTUS offered his "help" to "adjust" the countries to eliminate the left and lead them into... I guess MAGA idiocracy.
I still can't believe our checks and balances are still letting this all continue. It's terrifying that our checks and balances have been bought and paid for. What's worse is the American citizens cheering all of this on like they're on some superior high road can't even see they're next. Everyone is a target in this government setting.
"White supremacy continues to thrive in 2025 USA" not for long, when white people learn that all the things that made them powerful disappeared because there's no migrants to work in them, and they didn't learn to cook good food either
Free chairs, anyone? I have two matched dining chairs and a small pink IKEA office chair that are surplus to requirements here.
Before they go into storage, if anyone wants to come to the western suburbs of Melbourne and pick them up, they're yours.
The dining chairs are perfectly solid and stable but have lived in a household with cats all their lives so have some light scratches, and if you've got allergies to cat fur they've definitely got some in the folds despite vacuuming.
The recommendation to delay the hepatitis B vaccine is βa direct threat to infant safetyβ that βcontradicts every major body of scientific evidence accumulated over four decades,β according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/0β¦
What is being implemented under the guise of βhealth freedomβ is, in fact, the demolition of the very institutions and structures that have protected millions from infectious disease.
The official Department of Justice recruitment page is saying the quiet part out loud: they donβt care about law, they only care about deportations. Flagrant. False. Possibly illegal. This is why many of us have advocated for an independent immigration court for years. οΏΌοΏΌ
This is their hiring motto? Never have weβve seen such a concerted effort to replace the Fed work force with Trump toadies, especially judges who only give a rip about Trump law βwhatever I proclaim!β Now think about all the firings that have to happen to clean this mess up. π€
we need cis people to understand that there are quite a few countries where hrt is available without a prescription and none of those countries have a detransition problem
hormones should be free, with no prescription requirement, and no psych evals, to anyone of any age, minors included
#DonaldTrump has full presidential immunity due to #TrumpVUnitedStates, so he can't be tried INSIDE the U.S., but since killing the survivors of the Venezuelan boat strike is a #WarCrime, he CAN be tried by international law. Then let's do that. He can't pardon himself internationally.
Kaliah
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