Trakt is not funding third-parties. Using other apps has always been an option (emphasis on optional) with Trakt. Third-party apps are not competitors!
Netflix is (or was at least) funding Games for instance. I guess you feel the same about thatā¦ but it is part of their strategy. This is unfortunate but sometimes (or often) you pay for things that you only āuseā partly.
I value transparency but hear me out, it takes time to reply to everybody. You are a lot of users for a rather small team. We canāt do that all the time but yes, more is better.
I donāt think we can say Trakt is dishonest. Yes, Justin said old plans would be grandfathered and at that time, he was honest. I guess you are talking about that.
Iāll try my best to engage with you guys.
Sometimes, weāll have to take hard decisions. Just know that we are all trying our best here. And yes, price changes are no fun, but they were necessary from a business stand point.
Tiered access is not that easy and Iām pretty sure if we ask all users who would want that, they would all choose a different bundle of things, leading to frustration (again). The best would be to pay for exactly what you use (because that is the root of the problem, the perception that you pay for something you donāt use that much) but thatās a model that almost always fails (at least for this type of service). The other solution is to give you more for the price you get to balance it the other way, thatās what we are trying to do here but will take time.
Trust me, cutting the team down wonāt help, itās not like we are a big company who over-hired over the years. We have things to maintain and new things to build to improve.
I already answered the dishonesty part, if have something else in mind, please share.
We not really hiding. Yes, some threads have been unanswered but again, small team (you want to cut down), a lot of users, a lot of frustrated users because we are talking about printing. Some threads are just impossible to answer but it doesnāt mean we hide or ignore.
Something we need to and will address asap! It is (imo) a prioritization issue.
You are talking about tracking, scrobbling, lists and stats and those are areas where we are going to improve, across the board!
Agree, all of this will take time. Thanks for your feedback!!
This is not what it is. Iāve been working for other companies for 7+ years while working on Rippple as a side project. Iām not going to tell you working for Trakt as a Product Manager and on Rippple on the side is as easy as it was, because it isnāt, but Iām trying to do both as best as I can.
Rippple has always been a side project. Iām paid for my Product Manager role. Not to develop Rippple.
The tier with third-party apps would be free (or the sameā¦ wait a minute), we donāt pay them to develop apps.
Iām not sure I understand what you are implying. I started working with Trakt on the API Partner Program because I had an app that was fitting perfectly as a first member of the program. And Iām now starting to transition more to the Product Manager role because the opportunity was there (someone left, I was interested by the position, itās more complex, Iām simplifying). The Partner Program or Trakt is not funding Rippple.
Awesome, thanks a lot for your feedback!
Thank you!
I get your point and made a same comparison with the Games on another reply. I think it is part of the natural development of a company to explore some things. Iām more into nailing one thing perfectly myself (Iām an Apple fan-boy, sorry, not sorry). Focus/priority is a key takeaway of what you said, thank!
Noted!
What disrespect exactly?
I answered on the grandfathering, I know Justin wasnāt dishonest at the time he said what he said. Things just changed.
Maybe increasing the price is disrespectful? Changing the value proposition (limits)?
I have been a user of Trakt for years (VIP) and never felt disrespected but I understand others frustration on some sensitive (price and tiering) subjects.
I canāt answer this here (not that I wouldnāt be into a Ted Talk invite 
) but I have a plan and Iāll use my past experiences as a user, as a developer of a Trakt app and as a Product Manager to improve everything that can be improved.
so happy to see you here, the rippple app is amazing. when i got into the testflight beta it gave me premium access but i think i went back to the regular version so I could do the lifetime sub and then switch back to testflight beta. felt bad not paying for it.
I still prefer to use the official Trakt app but i always keep rippple installed and open it from time to time or use it to check in on a show and use the feature to have it auto complete the watch history up to the episode Iāve marked.
Iām sure youāll do great things here at Trakt.
How did you get into app development in the first place and what made you start with your tracking apps like rippple?
Eh, so far I am not hearing anything thatād make me trust Trakt again or want to sign up for VIP at twice the price I paid previously when I have no use for any new features.
I wouldnāt say all or nothing. You have many options. Free, VIP, third-party apps that may give you perks for free, a fee or as a bundle.
Exactly this! It is the case: apps are part of the ecosystem. All apps can be used or not with or without Trakt VIP thanks to the Public API. Nobody is forcing anybody to use third-party apps and Trakt is not funding any of them.
Focus on Core Features of Trakt is in the work.
I know it feels like it from the outside but the Trakt team is awesome and behind me on this.
We hear you! We need to better explain. Defend of apologies is something else we shouldnāt have to do.
This is not a pattern. It happened, yes, but itās not like itās for everything. I have my own community I manage and there is a lot of things I see in here that I wouldnāt like to see in a forum about my product. Some moderation is in place and I donāt think it is too much.
This is just not true 
Thatās okay if I am but it doesnāt feel like it.
Congrats on joining the Trakt crew! I hope you get to contribute in making the service better (and perhaps even address some of the grievances of late 
)
Iām one of the few who really enjoy Trakt Lite and itās simplicity and I would love to see it bit more regular updates on itās development.
Thatās all for me, wish u the best of luck at Trakt!
My case is different and Iāve explained.
This is something else. I call it an integration. I donāt know the exact deal but yes, Younify gets paid for their business. Like JustWatch and other providers. The Partner Program and those kind integrations into the Core service are not the same.
It is not the case. Only if you go through the third-party, you partly fund that third-party if they are part of the Program. If you donāt use them, you donāt fund.
Iād be invoicing in advance or asking for payment up front for your services mate, you come in at time of conflict to say the least, it appears youāre also dealing with people with questionable ethics, best of luck on your new journey, ( I hope you donāt need it), the " TRACK" record is not real positive though. Your enthusiasm is admirable and I hope you can maintain it.
Not missing it. But there is a misunderstanding on the type of third parties and the fact you think they are funded by your VIP subscription.
This is not the case!
Agreed! And this is exactly what is happening.
I disagree. Funding means Trakt would use your money for something you are not interested in. Revenue Sharing means part of the revenue is shared in a win-win situation because a user is actively choosing and actively engaging with the app.
You are saying Trakt is funding, Iām saying Trakt is sharing the revenue via referral links.
Letās take a step back maybe: Trakt doesnāt have a Marketing team. The Public API and third-party developers have always been a way for Trakt to acquire new users. Here, with the program, some apps will be rewarded with a part of the revenue of the users that came through those apps. This is a pretty standard and interesting model for Trakt, the third party developers and the users.
Iām sorry you feel like this, but you are free to go somewhere else that better suits you.
Noted! And thanks for your feedback!
Agreed already, transparency and be better at communication is key!
This is almost an impossible conversation to have without someone sharing confidential commercial information, which Iām sure Trakt wonāt do. So, hereās an illustration of a āpossibleā revenue sharing model between Trakt and Ripple.
Trakt could agree to pay Ripple 20Ā¢ for each Trakt VIP member that connects their account to Ripple, and 20Ā¢ for each month thereafter where they remain connected. Therefore only Trakt VIP members that are actively using Ripple have any of there VIP subscription contribute to Ripple. Other VIPs are not contributing.
This model would seem to address your concerns? Only those using Ripple with Trakt generate any revenue share, those that donāt arenāt generating any contribution. If zero Trakt VIPs used Ripple, then zero revenue would be shared.
My reply is to help people understand the difference between funding a third party development vs revenue sharing in a typical commercial agreement, since many were mistakenly saying they are the same. The difference isnāt semantic, but operationally very different.
With a revenue share, the share wouldnāt normally equate to the āvalueā of the third party service. In fact they almost never would, as itās of bi-directional benefit. The figures I used were only to illustrate the concept though. The revenue share would almost certainly be way lower than the assumptions in your example. Anyhow, as I said - just trying to help people understand the commercial differences between funding and revenue share in business.
Maybe Iām misreading what Kevin is saying, but from the way Iām reading it, the partner program is like a referral program. The third party app developer only gets part of the Trakt VIP revenue if the user signs up for Trakt VIP in the third party app (if the user signs up on the Trakt website or Trakt app, third party apps do not get any part of that revenue). If thatās the case, then I have no problem with that. Lots of companies offer referral programs like that to help encourage third party companies/developers to grow the core business and also get a cut of that profit for their help. But if a cut of all VIP users revenue, regardless where they signed up, go to third party apps, I also strongly disagree with that for the many reasons others have listed above.
iDavide94Davide Iām not sure why you are so angry. If you have been paying $15 a year, youāve got your moneys worth. You act like youāve given Trak $100 out of the goodness of your heart.
but money from everyone ā including mine. And that money should be used to improve the core service, not to fund third-party apps.
that money you paid was for a service youāve used. You have no place to make business decisions for Trakt as a company. Trakt have been very generous to allow users to keep paying so little. And $15/y isnāt going to do anything. How often do you use the service or use the forums? that alone will cost at least $10 probably so you gave $5 for Trakt to
but money from everyone ā including mine. And that money should be used to improve the core service, not to fund third-party apps.
so you paid for one cup of coffee a year and think you have the right to demand the decisions Trakt make? Grow up. If you donāt want to pay for the service then donāt. I personally donāt think Trakt is worth it for me for $60. But I rather Trakt keep growing and one day I might think itās worth it and come back.
If you still not happy why donāt you go and create your own company and charge $15/y and see how far youāll get.