Information shared from Lori Gracey at TCEA:
As you know, app developers can set their apps to go free or on sale any time they wish. Some of them will advertise in advance that this is going to happen, while others keep it a secret. TCEA tries to keep you informed on this as best we can.
But if there's one particular app that you're hoping will go free or on sale, you can look up the app's price history to see if there's a pattern that might predict when it would go free or on sale again. Here's how:
- Go to the App Shopper (http://appshopper.com/). (This is one of the more than 24 different websites that TCEA uses to find free apps each day.)
- In the Search button on the right, type in the name of the app you are wanting to get and press the Enter/Return key. For my example, I'll use The Human Body by Tinybop.
- A list of similar apps will appear. Find the one you're looking for and click on its title.
- You'll now see a long description of the app, along with its current price. (There are screen shots of the app and reviews as well, which is nice.) If you scroll down the page a little, you'll see an App Activity list in blue on the right-hand side. This will show you things like how often the app is updated, when the price for the app has increased, and when it has gone free or on sale. For my example app, I can see that the price has increased from $0.99 in August 2013 to $3.99 today and that it has gone free in the past in September and December.
All you have to do now is make a note of the date or time of year the app has gone on sale or free in the past and then check the app at that time to see if the pattern repeats. I hope this helps you get the app you'e been waiting for at a discounted price!