iPhone app tries to lock itself via anti-piracy methods
“Like many iPhone developers, Ben Chatelain is frustrated to see cracked versions of his project, Full Screen Web Browser, showing up online. Following the usability suggestions of John Gruber, Ben has chosen to do something about it. The latest version of his app has detection capabilities for pirated instances, and reports the UUID of the device back to his server. After 10 days of running a cracked version, users are presented with a ‘trial over’ dialog box and given the option to buy up to the legitimate version.”
That’s a quote from a TUAW recent post on Ben Chatelain’s efforts to discourage and possibly convert users with “cracked” copies of his iPhone app. This seems a pretty good approach to me…letting pirates know who they’re stealing from. With some, it may not matter, but to a few, it might stop them.
TUAW does point out that some users may object to any app ‘phoning home’ with any sort of personally identifiable data – but Ben says his implementation of this antipiracy measure *only* pings back from cracked versions. PC’s have been doing this to various degrees for awhile now, so the technology isn’t too new.
It will be interesting to see how effective this method proves in converting users. Hopefully it will work well and perhaps catch on with more developers over time.
Related posts:
- iPhone App Piracy already emerging as a problem
- One Developer’s Approach to Piracy: Work with the Pirates
- Apple clarifies Safari “anti-phishing” feature
Skype for iPad supports video calling and will be released very soon.
I’m assuming it only talks to the server to send the UDID if it detects a cracked version so only people who are pirating need to be concerned about it, legitimate buyers don’t.
I’d be interested in adding something like this to my apps. I don’t have a problem with users installing my apps to try them out on jailbroken devices, but if they are continuing to use them, then they should buy the app.
Legitimate buyers needn’t be concerned because you are right that it only talks to the sever if it detects a cracked version.
You can read the developer’s post about this at http://benchatelain.com/2009/03/07/cracked-copies-of-full-screen-web-browser-function-as-demos/
As a stealer of Apps I just have to let you know that there is already a work around it’s just not publicly released yet. So this is just one more useless attempt by Apple to curb the jailbreaking community from growing. Each attempt by Apple seems to only increase interest.
Let’s be clear, most of us Jailbreakers do NOT steal as the above poster suggests.
We just want ALL the features that the iPhone has to offer.
Most of us are NOT cheap skates and we do not steal legitimate apps. I had a great mother growing up and have very nice morals.
meh to be fair, even if jailbreakers are stealing it, and all of that, i wouldnt put in the time, sooner or later someone will work around it, and maybe down the road someone will take more =\ long story short, it will only stop people for soooo long Y_Y