Today we released major updates to our live apps for iPhone and Android which give users more control over how they access our content.
The iPhone app is now open and available to everyone, with the option to access our content for free on an ongoing advertising-supported basis. This is in addition to the option to subscribe to a premium tier which gives the same great advert-free experience that current subscribers are used to, as well as special new premium content and features. The premium tier costs the same as current iPhone subscriptions: only 69p a month.
Similarly, Android users now have the option to subscribe to a premium tier at the same cost as the iPhone app. This gives the best experience of our content, as well as exclusive features in form of crosswords, no advertising, and more content coming in the future.
To take advantage of these changes, download the latest updates from Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Why these changes and why now?
The mobile market is still very young. It's changing rapidly and we aim to be at the forefront of this. Examining current usage, we found in the Android app a broad base of users who wanted to access our apps in a free ad-supported way; but also reasonable numbers asking to be able to pay for an enhanced experience.
On iPhone we saw many users actively choosing to take out a subscription, but more who weren't ready to directly pay for the app.
So instead of giving users different options simply based on what platform they're on, we have made our products clearer and simpler to understand. All users of our iPhone and Android apps now have the choice of how to access our content and interact with us. We believe that this benefits everyone.
We have learned a lot over the past two years with our differing approaches across our apps. This demonstrates that our test-and-learn, data-driven, mentality extends to all aspects of our work, and we're excited about learning more about how users respond to freemium models in these updates.
So what's in a premium tier?
The premium tier is designed to give you the best experience of our content. For both iPhone and Android it is the only way to get an advert-free experience. In addition, the premium tiers in each app currently include:
iPhone
- New premium galleries
- Access to hand-picked collections of our best content
- Special extracts from Guardian Books
Android
- Cryptic and Quick crosswords from the Guardian - automatically downloaded to your homescreen and ready to play offline
As the apps continue to evolve, we'll be adding more exclusive premium features and content in the future. This includes bringing crosswords to our iOS apps.
Current iPhone subscribers and print+digital subscribers get access to the premium tier automatically when they upgrade or when they enter their subscriber details.
We are constantly working to improve our mobile products to meet and exceed users' needs and expectations, and we hope you enjoy these changes. For more information about this update, you can read our app subscription FAQs.
As always feel free to comment or ask questions below, or tweet us @GuardianMobile.
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