Do You Believe It?

[Moscow Desire]

Normally I'm not one to complain about things here at AC, although I will speak what's on my mind. In fact, rarely, do I ever start a new thread. Usually, I spend my time helping people.

Well, today's the day. Now keep in mind, the folks here at AC do their best to keep us informed on just about everything, and 90% of the time, it's usually spot-on. For this, we are deeply indebted.

But my real issue, is with application reviews. Mostly, they're all great. However, my question is, how many times have you installed an app reviewed here, only to find it either;

a. Doesn't function
b. Not compatible
c. Throws enough Ads comparible to Brett Favre's interception ratio
d. Causes device freezes after a day or so
e. No refund option available

My question, is do the reviewers ever really install these apps they reccommend for any length of time? I don't just mean to install, a couple of screen captures, then uninstall. I mean really use them for 2 or 3 days.

The reason being, is that lately I've paid for, and installed some apps that well.... dissappoint me to say the least. Recently reviewed;

Halloween Live Wallpaper. Ok, 2 bucks, not going to kill me. But, every 1.5 days, it freezes the tab, usually either waking up, or on boot. It's extremely graphic intensive, which is why it freezes right at the end of the boot when you get your display, and superuser is trying to load it's deals. Once so bad, the forced double reboot reverted it back to stock wallpaper. BTW, the OS is a fresh flash.

Games. The big ones. You know, the 13 buck games. Only after you pay and download, then try to run the installer, does it tell you it won't run on your hardware. What??? HC3.2, Tegra2???? Then to make matters worse, no refund option.

Apps you pay for. If you read the fine print, you find you have 15 minutes to activate the refund option after purchase. Heck, sometimes, you can't even download the app and install it in that time. Not to mention, sometimes it takes that long for the payment option to complete and you get your notification.

My point is, when you review an app, you should at least run it yourself for a few days. Find out all the limitations both with hardware/software and refund options. Some issues don't crop up till a few days after you install it.

And finally, run the darn thing on at least 4 or 5 devices with various configurations. Just because it runs on your device alone, doesn't mean it will run on 90% of other devices. Anybody who ever worked in development, knows you don't push a software without at least running it on several configurations. Phones, Tablets, OS versions, roots, etc. Or at least state the current config you ran it on before writing a review.

It ain't rocket science you know. And yes, I know one cannot possibly test it on every device out there. But still....

And now, Moscow waits for the "flame"..

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Your second-to-last sentence is the one that matters. Yes, we run the apps. Do we test them for days at a time? Not if it's a Halloween wallpaper. I think most users and our readers are capable of accepting a little responsibility for the apps they download.

And before you complain about refund options, I'd recommend understanding what your refund options are -- which are very limited and in no way are our fault.

But I just work here ...

 

[valorian]

Remember, any review is just the opinion of the author. Research should be done by the person considering the purchase. Although most of the market reviews are useless, this is (IMO) is a better way to judge an app than by a single review. For me, a review is just to get an idea of what the app does and is all about.

As far as compatibility goes, this lies on the developer and/or Google. We has the end users rely on the box that tells us whether it is compatible or not with our phone. If this turns out to be false then this type of post should be sent to the developer. But compatibility here assumes you are not rooted. One reason I have not rooted yet is I wonder if some of the issues people post about are due to third party ROMs. Also, some developers will refund your money after the Google 15 minute time limit. I'm sure this has to be for good reason other than you just don't like it.

Don't get me wrong, I understand your frustration with purchasing an app just to find out it does work properly on your phone. I purchase very few app because of this. I learned this back when I had my BlackBerry. I would rather download a free app and then donate to the developer if I feel it's a good app.

 

[Moscow Desire]

Your second-to-last sentence is the one that matters. Yes, we run the apps. Do we test them for days at a time? Not if it's a Halloween wallpaper. I think most users and our readers are capable of accepting a little responsibility for the apps they download.

And before you complain about refund options, I'd recommend understanding what your refund options are -- which are very limited and in no way are our fault.

But I just work here ...

Ha!

Phil, not complaining here mind you. But I think I'm not the only one who has voiced an opinion. Without getting banned...

And I'm not laying the blame on anybody mind you. I'm just saying, "maybe", one might, when a review is published to half a million+ readers, just "maybe" it can be just a little more detailed.

Of course I accept responsibility for everything I install, and all the roms and kernels. But people, when they read these forums, count AC's words as money in the bank, so to say. It's the reputation this place has. And because of that reputation, AC must uphold it. Wether you like it or not, you have created this belief.

For myself, the money, nor the ..... odd behavior, means little, as I "can" pull my ... out of a rabbit's hat. But for other's....

But for a lot of people, they rely on the advice of AC.

When you write a review of an app, you should cover most important things. When a user installs an app, and is saturated with ads, or is told the app is not compatible, well, these are basic things that should be stated during the review. It's a common practice.

And now, I'm not going to say much on it more, as I see where it will go.

 

[Moscow Desire]

I agree Valorian.

The issue I have, mainly is not concerned with myself persay, but with other people. It's a matter of principle and conception.

A review of an app, should contain all details.

Not just, hey, it looks great, hey it does this.

But should contain other details like;

Hey, it doesn't work on rooted devices
Hey, it doesn't work on HC
Hey, you can't get your money back
Hey, it's memory buffer will over-run in 2 days
Hey, it's so graphic intensive it requires 65% of all processor resources
Or how about, Yes, we know it's free. But I got 26 ads in 15 minutes...

For example.

 

[Moscow Desire]

Your second-to-last sentence is the one that matters. Yes, we run the apps. Do we test them for days at a time? Not if it's a Halloween wallpaper. I think most users and our readers are capable of accepting a little responsibility for the apps they download.

And before you complain about refund options, I'd recommend understanding what your refund options are -- which are very limited and in no way are our fault.

But I just work here ...

So... What are the parameters for testing software for review?

I think a lot of folks would like to know.

 

[cgardnervt]

There are ways around the refund issue...

Most apps its my understanding that you have what? 15 minutes to try it? If you uninstall it then its a refund? Maybe not on all apps. I guess this is what happens when your a guy like me that doesnt buy apps. So unless its free...I normally wont consider it.

My way around this?

1) Use free apps only.

2) Wait until Amazon has it for a free download of the day.

3) See if any of your friends have the app and test it out through them. (Now it wont help the hardware issue at all but its a start)

4) Don't use the app.

I got bit by this. I bought a good amount of apps on WebOS and I don't regret it too. But companies like Gameloft (Terrible company anyways.) will not allow you to transfer your games/game that you bought to a new OS. So while I understand I just dont buy apps anymore from them. I'm still waiting to see if I will even stick with Android anyways before I go all app buying crazy! So its really an issue with the person and something you need to look at closely for your self. Someone can review an app...does not mean its a great app. Point and case. Take reviews with a grain of salt! They are however still very helpful and I still read them.

 

[Moscow Desire]

Cgardner,

I am not a n00b to Android, nor am I a n00b to apps in general. For Christ's sake, I been doing this for more years than most have been alive.

The point is, which most have decided to dodge, is that there seems to be no standards as to what is acceptable when an app is reviewed. None. Absolutely.

Really, I don't care if I toss a few bucks, and come away with a lemon. Hey, it's Android.

What pulls my sack, is that reviews are done on apps, without any disregard for anything. It's like"hey, this app is good, I wouldn't live without it".

And as you look at the reviews, nowhere does anybody state what version it works with, any problems if you run custom rom, anything about refunds, absolutely nothing.There are no specifics about anything.

Christ, the last app, a screensaver, didn't bother to say the damn thing took most of of processor power to run. Nor that it will fill your garbage can faster than a jersey garbage man until you system popped. Why? because it was never tested more than 10 minutes before it was uninstalled.

The fact is, someone has to set some standards, for AC to live up to. And maybe it's time to seriously set some guidelines.

I Love AC. My Android home. But it is time for some things to change.

I understand it's not easy, and people have families and jobs. But, that is no excuse for lacking in certain things. Hell, I could throw in some help. After all, I have a degree in writing. And worked in the Dev labs, before most of them were born.

 

[ETW11]

App reviews are highly subjective, but I must agree with the OP to some extent because I was recently very excited to read about an app called Tubemate that was positively reviewed here. It sounded like something I definitely wanted, but the reviews on the Android Market were nothing but terrible, there were warnings of spam notifications involved with the app, and the developer seemed extremely questionable given that there are several "versions" of the app listed. I think it was an injustice that the reviewer did not mention any of these things nor even made an attempt to dispel them.

 

[Moscow Desire]

I agree that app reviews are subjective. Heck, what works for somebody else, others may hate.

But the real issue, is what is the criteria for testing for review? Not anywhere, can I find this. What type of devices was the testing performed on? Tablet? Phone? Android versions compatible with? Did the reviewer actually go to the market and pay for the app and download from there? If so, they should make note in the review of anything out of the ordinary.

I suppose, they just get the apk's e-mailed to them, but seeing there is no criteria for this.... well.

But as I am told, in more words or less... "buyer beware".

Ok, I won't lose sleep over the price of an american combo-meal. But still,.....