Ads within apps are a major gripe for many mobile users, but in reality it is the price that needs to be paid to keep many apps free or low-cost — and there’s always a price to pay! To the chagrin of some users, advertisements have been added to the Windows Phone version of Nokia HERE, following a similar move with the web-based version of the tool.
Writing in a forum post on WP Central, Pino Bonetti from the HERE team said: “After rolling out advertisements (e.g. with Groupon) on here.com, we are introducing them on Windows Phone 8 apps too. In the specific case of HERE Maps, we are displaying locally relevant ads in search results and nearby places.”
The introduction of ads to an existing service was never going to be welcomed with open arms by everyone, but the blow does seem to have been softened by the fact that there is a degree of relevancy to the ads that are displayed.
It would be fair to describe the ads as unobtrusive, but this alone is unlikely to be enough to appease those disgruntled by the change.
Will this turn you away from Nokia HERE in favor of an alternative that is free from ads? Obviously, just about everyone prefers the idea of free apps, but — assuming decent quality of both app and advertisement — what would you prefer: a free app with ads, or a paid-for app free from them?
