Legalities of changing a paid app's function, rending it useless...

[AnotherCovidQuestion]

I bought WeekCal app years ago because it had the share function so my husband can also sync it on his device.

All of the apps I’ve ever paid for can be shared using family sharing, and this was no different.

Until last week when they removed the ability to share it unless the other person pays £19.99 subscription fee that will need to be renewed.

Having already paid up front for the app, and probably wouldn't have bothered to, had it not had the share function (that was the whole point in getting it), can they legally change the terms like that?

I feel a bit indignant about it!

This might be better in legal.

It doesn't sound like they have changed the T&Cs (with the caveat that I haven't read them).

What they have done - presumably ?? - in line with the T&Cs is to change their charging model.

Annoying, but not unlawful.

That said, it's worth checking that they did follow their own T&Cs (it never ceases to amaze me how many outfits don't ...) in which case they may not be able to make the changes stick.

There may also be an argument that even it if was in line with their T&Cs, it's an unfair term ... however that would be for a court to decide.

While it's no consolation, at least they didn't pull the feature completely. I've dealt with a few cases where companies have simply removed functionality with no warning.

Wow, just remove a function altogether even though it's been paid for?

Crikey.

My concern is, I paid something like, I dunno, would have to check bank statements, £6.99 (could have been £12.99 but I can't remember) for the full unlocked version.

It worked a good few years and now they change £28.99 for the fully unlocked feature. Or you can pay £19.99 annually instead (like, why would you choose that?!).

But my concern is that, if I pay the £28.99 then who's I say in another however many years they won't remove that function and sell it for £49.99 or something?

It just seems to wrong!

Thanks for the suggestion to move to legal. And thank you Mumsnet for moving it for me!

Bump