Oops! Posted at same time. There he is.

Thank you Jon!

Thank you, Nathan! I appreciate the kind words and support. If anyone is interested in a pre-sale discount for Android, they can visit: thestrangerapp.com/android. I'm excited to have this released!

Looking forward to the Android version. Thanks for the update.

I was going to purchase this but only when it was available for the UK.
Won’t be purchasing as it’s not on offer anymore which is annoying as waited so long.

I agree . It’s a brilliant app
A shame the uk 🇬🇧 users missed out on the offers

I have to agree reignofsound and montanna40......... This has been a farce for UK purchasers and others who were told to wait for the international version on IOS devices.

Having been told to register for the upcoming release (well before Christmas), we waited patiently to no avail.

The most infuriating part, was finding out that the international version was actually available at Blackpool for $99, but not knowing, due to not being notified.

How many others registered to be notified but were not, and consequently missed the discount at Blackpool? For UK purchasers the price in the App Store is £150, but at the Blackpool convention, it transpires that it could have been purchased for £76.

John could you extend the promo offer to us? You’d make a lot of sales and a lot of people happy...

Please allow me to explain the full situation in response to the above post.

Prior to the release of The Stranger for iOS, I offered a pre-sale for a discounted price. This sale allowed me to continue development of this app. As you may imagine, development costs are quite high.

Before the release took place, it was strongly suggested to me that I implement support for international regions.

My desire is and always has been to create a product that offers high impact for fellow magicians. It has never been to take advantage of anyone.

Therefore, I knew that I would want to release an update with international support and I would make that update free.

When everyone asked me about the international version, I would consistently say that it would be part of the free update. And if they purchase now, when the international version was available, it would be made available to them for free. I then took names of people who were interested so that I could reach out when the update was available.

The same was true for Android. People would ask if I would offer a discount for Android when it was released. I explained that I had not yet made a decision on this, however I imagine I would roll it out in the same way that I released the iOS version.

Apple makes it a little tricky. They do not allow for discount codes to be created or used for any app. And, it is against their terms to sell any voucher code that would give away the product for free. This means that I have limited control over the way the discounts are offered. If I want to offer the app at a discount, I must do this globally for everybody and not just for specific users. This, of course limits any person who is trying to sell an app from marketing in certain ways, or to be able to target specific users such as only international users.

Along the way, when I would receive questions about the international version, my answer was always the same. As I stated above, if you purchase now, the update will be free. But, again, I never made any promises to discount the product when the international update would become available.

When we approached Blackpool, thr international version was not ready to go. It has been a massive undertaking, with extensive research and development, and costs associated with that R&D, to produce a product that works for the international markets. My development team and I have worked night and day to produce this product. And, when blackpool began, the product was not available. I always intended to offer a discount for blackpool attendees. But, again I had to make this a global discount offer. So, for the duration of blackpool, I offered the product at a lower price.This had nothing to do with the international version. As it happens, we were able to release the international version while at Blackpool. However, there were still some elements that I wanted to incorporate into the update, so I knew I was not officially announcing the international version. The version written blackpool was still the Stranger that was always released, but it did have international features. But, the discount offer was not related to this being an international version.

I chose to extend that offer by 3 days, after Blackpool had ended. I did this as a courtesy to potential new users. I did not advertise this, but the offer was there.

Once I was able to return to the United States, I continued to work on the international version and we subsequently put out two more updates since then with some other fixes to address some minor elements that I wanted to address in the app. At that time, I felt comfortable announcing that the international version was released.

I was asked to lower the price once again at that time. However, since the offer from Blackpool, which was extended by three days, ended and I then had users purchase at full price, I did not feel it was fair to those customers to lower the price so quickly after they had purchased. Of course, this is a difficult position that I was in. I had to make a choice. And I chose to continue with the business model that I had planned from the beginning.

Pricing can be a very difficult thing. It’s a hard choice to make. At this point, the income generated from this app has mostly gone back into research and development so that I can continue to create an innovative product that will offer dynamic results for magicians. That is what I care about.

My integrity and character dictate that I always try to make each person happy. That I offer solutions that satisfy each user and potential customers. That reputation is very important to me. If anyone has felt there has been a miscommunication, intentionally or otherwise, I’m happy to have a discussion with them and try to find a solution. That is something that I have done with the previous user who recently commented. I’m always trying to offer a solution if I can. I have to work within the limitations or restrictions that are in front of me.

If anyone would like to reach out to me, I would welcome a healthy and tempered dialogue.

Thank you.

Jonathan.

I nearly hit the buy button last June when the International version was promised during the next ‘major update’. Glad I held out.
Would never pay the full price. It’s good, but not 150 pounds good. (Hobbyist)

I completely understand how the timing of the blackpool offer and the subsequent announcement of the "international version" of the Stranger looks like it was done intentionally. Although I don't have any financial interest in the stranger I have been working with Jonathan and am privy to some of the massive undertaking that has gone (and continues to go) into the development of this application. I can't fathom how much money let alone pure man hours that went into getting an international version working before blackpool. It was essentially like writing 30 more versions of the stranger AND recording scripts for most all of them I had doubts he would finish by the end of 2020 let alone before blackpool, the man did not sleep, every night was (and still is) spent refining code with his developers just trying to get it ready for launch at blackpool meanwhile being a busy full time magician. But somehow (on I think the second day of blackpool) he did get something released that would work for the international market. I am sorry for those of you that missed the sale, but I can promise you that is is worth every penny and more. I don't know of any other app let alone magic trick that gets amazing SCREAMING reactions every single time! It is seriously addicting to perform. Not to mention the amazing community that has sprung up around this application, all of these magicians from around the world just dying to help you create a miracle for your audience because its just as fun being a stranger as it is performing it. It's hard to put into words how much more than just an app this really is. Maybe it's not for you, I respect that. But it is still a bargain at $150, I'm looking around my room and can see stuff I've purchased that add up to WELL over that and none of those things create the pure excitement that performing this does. You can close a stadium show with it with nothing more on you than your phone. What else can you say that about?

It’s not $150 in the UK though sadly.

$194 to be exact.

I agree with everything said. Not questioning the work gone into the app . Or the quality of the app
I think it’s fantastic
Just would have been nice for all the international users waiting for this to be available to have some sort of offer for our patience
I think that’s fair don’t you ?

Does the latest update support SMS notification to your accomplice in Australia?

Cash waiting for any future price drop 👍🏻

Put me on that list also!

Thanks! I can add you to a list. Just private message me your email. At this point, I do not foresee any future price drops. That could change, but these last exchanges have made it difficult for me to justify or risk any confusion. I may be offering offers/discounts on in-app purchases for additional feature sets within the app. I look forward to having you as a part of the growing and engaged Stranger community!

Fair? I think he’s been more than fair. Given the amount of extra work and cost the international version could have been an app of its own, but JL has always maintained that international support was coming and that it would be a free update. So, anyone waiting could have bought it even when it was on sale during blackpool and the 3 days after and used it (to call US based numbers or use US recordings) and receive the update free. I completely understand that no announcement was made, but it was hardly a secret either. I hate when I miss a sale, but given that he would have to discount the app worldwide for those that didn’t know and in the process essentially cheat those that have paid full price between blackpool and now, that seems more unfair to me.