When free isn’t: Adobe’s Photoshop Express update adds in-app purchases

 

 

Android users who have the free Photoshop Express app on their smartphone may have found something surprising when it recently updated to version 2.1. Adobe rolled out two new features, but if you want them, you have to pay. To get Adobe's Noise Reduction tool will cost you $5, and a filter pack goes for $3—which makes a free app cost $8 if you want the full functionality.

This so called "freemium" model isn't a particularly new one, but this does mark Adobe's first time bringing it to the Android version of Photoshop Express, and it does come just days after Adobe Revel came to Android with a hefty premium for extra storage.

iOS users have had these paid additions for a while—they first debuted in the iOS version back in 2011, though the purchases have updated and changed names since then.

In-app purchases are fairly common, and are a major part of the business model associated with many smartphone apps. But this addition on the Android version of Photshop Express comes at a time when Adobe is under increasing fire for its pricing schemes, especially with the subscription oriented Adobe Cloud services. And with people keen to jump at Adobe for just about any cause, additions like this make it seem as though the company is intent on nickel and diming its customer base to death.

(via 1001NoisyCameras, Android Police)