Lifetime Upgrades Under Scrutiny: How Indie Mac/iOS Apps Are Handling Early Adopters' Promises

Lifetime upgrades are back under scrutiny as indie Mac/iOS apps face backlash. In two hot posts, FocuSee and SaveHub show how early-adopter promises collide with evolving monetization — and one commenter notes it sounds like the Paste app playbook ^[1]. The debate also centers on sustainability and how clearly promises are communicated.

What happened with FocuSee — The original policy promised "V2, V3, and all future versions" for early buyers. Now users are told upgrades beyond V2 are paid; support claims the free upgrade covers only V2 and excludes AI credits ^[1]. Credits layer into the confusion: pricing shows 3,600 credits/year with a subscription, but 1,000 credits/year with a one-time Lifetime Access to FocuSee 2.x; credits may expire after a year ^[1].

• Credits structure: 3,600 credits/year with a subscription vs 1,000 credits/year with a one-time purchase of Lifetime Access to FocuSee 2.x; credits expire after a year ^[1].

SaveHub backlash — With SaveHub v10, the update adds support for TikTok, Reddit, and major platforms, plus faster performance and a refined UI ^[2]. Longtime "lifetime VIP" buyers report upgrades switching to Premium and watermarking after updates ^[2]. One commenter captures the chill: "your promiss is not available, lmao bring users free lifetime upgrade but you reclaimed their lifetime after that, 1 star review for sure" ^[2]. Commenters also report being told to open in-app tickets to resolve issues ^[2].

These moments highlight how indie developers juggle long‑term value with evolving costs, and how users weigh trust when a one‑time purchase isn’t clearly decoupled from ongoing payments.

References