Apple offering second 3-month free trial of Apple Music to previous subscribers
Apple is trying to tempt back previous Apple Music subscribers by offering a second 3-month free trial of the service, with push notifications being sent to mass amounts of iOS users who have either canceled their paid membership, or never continued to use the service beyond their initial free trial.
So far the notifications don’t appear to have been sent to all ex-Apple Music subscribers, although judging by the screenshots of the notifications being shared on social media, the company is clearly ramping up its efforts to grow its listener base.
It appears that Apple is sending two different notifications: One has the title “We’ve Changed” followed by a friendly offer to “Come back to Apple Music and get 3 months on us.” and the other more straight to the point prompt with the title “It’s Not Too Late” with the message “Try Apple Music again for 3 months free.”
https://twitter.com/himynamescorey/status/1091831910605733890
How is Apple Music promoting a trial via random Push Notification not a violation of their own App Store guidelines?
“4.5.4 Push Notifications must not be required for the app to function, and should not be used for advertising, promotions, or direct marketing purposes…” pic.twitter.com/98ceT6i19y
— Brian Christiansen (@briandigital) February 8, 2019
Apple’s own developer guidelines state push notifications should not be used for advertising, promotions, or direct marketing purposes, notes UX design generalist Brian Christiansen, although like the Apple Store iPhone Upgrade Program notifications sent in December, Apple clearly isn’t overly bothered about following its own rulebook.
Push Notifications must not be required for the app to function, and should not be used for advertising, promotions, or direct marketing purposes or to send sensitive personal or confidential information. Abuse of these services may result in revocation of your privileges.