What do you get when you remove bots and UDID as your standard to identify devices but replace it with nothing else?An App Store that is getting more costly to acquire new customers and less lucrative to make money on ads. That, at least, is what the leading marketing and ad mediation companies are suggesting.
One of the most under-reported stories relates to the amount of money being spent by kids in iPhone games, unbeknownst to their parents until they see a bill for hundreds of dollars. This story is about to blow up, thanks to a judge's decision in a San Jose court not to dismiss a class action lawsuit filed by disgruntled parents against Apple about what they term as "bait apps" but what we call freemium games, or games that are free to play but require purchases of virtual goods to progress.
Oh no, Apple you dUDIDn't! Kim Mai Cutler at Techcrunch is reporting that Apple is starting to reject apps that access the UDIDs, which is essentially the identification number that is unique to every iPhone and iPad. This is a meaningful development for game companies and players because the UDID is the key for how games and apps make money. Think of UDID as your phone or tablet's fingerprint. Mobile ad, game network, and analytics company use the UDID to target ads, save game data, and track usage. Take away the UDID, and it's no longer business as usual in the world of mobile games.