Blog > Post

11 July 2022 by Tim Cole

Blog post subject to change / update; 'Pro E' mode is no more than an experiment and this has now ended. If you want access to 'Pro' mode, see the 'Pro' options.

Wotja Experiment: 'Pro E' mode for evaluation

We had been mulling this over before our Wotja 23 Planning Commences! post (without finding the solution) but we believe we are now ready to try an experiment.

Those who know us well will know that we are always kicking the tyres to try to improve things, and we like to try things out.

We want to try something that could work out very well for you but that is potentially extremely risky for us. This experiment might well be withdrawn at any time.

Anyone with a free variant of Wotja on their device can try it in 'Pro E' mode (and Plug-in where available) at any time by tapping on a 'Store' button (conditions apply).

'Pro E' mode (a subset of 'Pro' mode features, specifically for Evaluation hence the 'E') auto-reverts to 'Lite' mode when Wotja stops playing. Just tap on the button again to unlock 'Pro E' mode.

To facilitate this behaviour we have added a Tip Jar (TJ) that allows 'Single Tip' items to be purchased in the App and, by way of thanks to those who purchase ANY tip, that App (and Plug-in where available) will remember for 30 days that it is in 'Pro' mode, i.e. it does not auto-revert to 'Lite' mode during that time.

The alternative to that is simply to take out a 'Pro' Subscription (where available) - and this delivers further benefits to those wishing to use multiple devices under their App Store user account.

We guess the above is a kind of hybrid 'freemium' / 'trialware' model, but we have not come across it before. Someone probably has tried it before and found it did not work!

Anyhow, if it works it could be a good way forward, but it might not... We won't know without trying it!

Features, Benefits and Risks

Features

• The Free Wotja App (and associated Plug-in, if any) is to include a built-in 'Pro' mode.
• Experiment: A 'Pro E' mode is also included (a subset of 'Pro' mode) and it can be unlocked by tapping on the 'Store' button (in Documents, Settings & Mix editing screens) - it's that simple.
  • As it is an experiment, this 'Pro E' mode might be removed at any time and conditions apply.
• Whenever play stops, the Feature Set (FS) in Wotja reverts to 'Lite' mode.
• The above happens UNLESS Wotja has an active 'Pro' FS Subscription or UNLESS any Tip Jar (TJ) item was purchased in its In-App Store in the last 30 days (and provided Wotja is not then uninstalled/reinstalled).

Benefits

• The model provides a way to evaluate some 'Pro' features before you decide you want to go 'Pro'.

Risks for us

• It is actually very risky for us because if too few users tip or subscribe and/or tip often enough then we might not get enough revenues to continue development meaning we would have no option but to end the experiment - so, if you like it, vote with your feet (tips or subscriptions) and continue to do that!

'Commercial Use' - the 2 big provisos

The new model has two big provisos, but only in respect of Commercial Use of Wotja (see the EULA for specific conditions):

• Where Wotja is used by a Business (or employee of one) in anything other than the 'Lite' Feature Set (FS) a maximum period of evaluation of 5 hours in total is permitted - otherwise the Business must have for each and every such device an active 'Pro' FS Subscription and/or have within the last 30 days purchased the relevant or required Tip Jar (TJ) item.
• Commercial Use is permitted of recordings made of Wotja running on any device where that instance of Wotja has an active 'Pro' FS Subscription or if the relevant or required Tip Jar (TJ) item has been purchased within the last 30 days.

Tips or Subscriptions - Pricing

The smallest Tip Jar (TJ) tip will be set at the same price as either the monthly auto-renewing 'Pro' All or 'Pro' Mobile Subscription tiers.

If you are using Wotja on a number of devices with the same user account (e.g. iOS, iPadOS, macOS device or e.g. more than one PC) then FS Subscriptions will work out quite a bit cheaper.

Finally, if you have an Apple TV then the only way to unlock 'Pro' mode in Wotja for tvOS is with a FS Subscription for Apple devices!

What about paid-for 'Pro' variants?

Don't worry, nothing has been decided yet... We may well still do them!

We really do hope the above hybrid Tip/Subscription model is going to work, and work well, for the majority of our customers.

Assuming it does (and we really hope it does), then we might not need to release paid-for variants (which are an enormous amount of additional work).

We assume, however, there will still be a demand or preference for paid-for variants (particularly Apple/Windows; Android is a separate consideration altogether).

This leaves us in a quandary: do we A) not to do them at all for V23; B) build/release them as we do now, or C) maybe build/release only "Collectors Edition" variants at the end of 2023?

Note: A Collectors Edition would be 'Pro' variant of that version's (e.g. V23) final release and would be made available for sale at the end of the year (instead of at the beginning, as now) and be removed from sale at some point the year after. It would in effect be frozen (it would get no updates) and would attract no support.

We will say it again, nothing has been decided yet... We may still do them!

So, will our experiment work in practise?

We honestly don't know. It all depends on whether it directly (or even indirectly, by providing a route to 'Pro' mode trial) helps us generate enough revenues to allow us to continue developing Wotja - and that is where you come in with your support, be that via tips, Subscriptions or purchase of paid-for variants.

If it works (or does not NOT work!) then it should give you much more flexibility in 'how you go Pro' and will also help to increase the base of Wotja users.

What if the experiment doesn't work or at any time stops working?

If we deem that the experiment does not seem to be working well enough, or looks like it might never do so, or at any time it no longer worked, then in an update we will remove the ability to manually unlock 'Pro' mode.

So that that no one who purchased a tip would lose out, and at least 30 days before we would release such an update, we would release an update advising that this behaviour was to change.

For those that wanted to see Wotja continue we would then have no choice but to revert back to our long-established Fullgrade model.

How this experiment pans out is now up to you...

If you think this new model/approach would work well for you, then please do use one of the upcoming Tip Jar items - vote with your feet (tips!). And please share this update with friends / forums!

The more tips that we get, the more likely it is that it will become the model for Wotja V23 and onwards.

If you have any feedback or suggestions, please do Contact Us.

Best wishes

Tim and Pete