Does it cost to use "free" apps

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ros_b

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Help! I feel like such an idiot, but I need someone to explain this whole "Apps" deal to me.

So, I think I sort-of understand the basics - companies or individuals write little programs that are designed to work on specific devices. Some of these little programs are made available for free, while others, you have to pay for.

So far, so good (I hope).

But - what does it cost to use these Apps? My friend tells me she has the News24 App, and it's free. But if she has it on a phone that has no data plan, no data bundles, and she uses the App, will she incur data charges?

And what about WhatsApp? Everyone says it's free... but is it? Doesn't it incur data usage charges?
 
It's free, you don't pay for the app.
If the app uses Internet then you pay data charges.

"Free" just means you don't pay for the app itself.
 
Unless you have a data plan you will incur data charges when using any of the free apps. If you only use these free apps whilst you are connected to a wireless ADSl connection then you will not incur data charges
 
Example:
It is free to download and use Internet Explorer or Chrome on your PC, but you must still pay for the internet.
This is the same concept with smart devices. The apps are free to download and use, but in order to gain the content on these devices, you must pay for the internet charges.
 
you can install an adblocker to minimise the ad impact

or buy the app. often the price is reasonable.
 
abzo said:
It's free, you don't pay for the app.
If the app uses Internet then you pay data charges.

"Free" just means you don't pay for the app itself.
Click to expand...

To add to this, if you don't have some kind of data plan (and you aren't using wireless) the cellphone companies will very kindly convert your voice contract/payg to data for you at a whopping R2/MB.
 
ISP cash cow said:
Acually cheaper than a coke, and an app lasts longer than a coke and is healthier on the hips.
Click to expand...

I can't fault some of the 99c apps for value, I mean you pay for a game and you get levels added weekly for free, cut the rope, wheres my water, angry birds all these good games get loads of add ons.
 
abzo said:
I'm not sure where you're living that $0.99 is reasonable for an app.
Click to expand...

??
$0.99 is less than half the price of a beer in most pubs in SA. I've gotten more enjoyment out of the $2.99 I paid for Enjoy Sudoku, than I would have from a thousand cases of beer (and I consume a lot of beer :))
 
Well you could completely cut out all data charges and even many of the ads by turning off WiFi and 3G before running the app. Will work on most apps but some are hardcoded to require these services to be on (an obviously apps that supply online data would just never work).

But yeah, none of that is specifically linked to the app, that's free.

Exactly what you have to put up with for a free app varies from app to app though. Some have reduced features, most spam ads at you, some only work full for a few days, some are free purely because no one in their right mind would ever pay a dime for the quality supplied. Some are so called Freemium where the app is fully free but in the case of a game for instance relies on various optional micro-transactions in the game to generate revenue, not stuff you have to do exactly, but stuff you have to do if you actually want to play the game properly.
 
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