Automatic subscription renewals take fire from Chinese state media despite being an important feature of the app economy

  • State-run People’s Daily takes aim at the automatic payment model used in many domestic apps, calling it a trap
  • Auto-renewals is a common business model for app makers and service providers around the world

State-run People’s Daily blasts subscription apps for “tricking” people into auto-renewals. Photo: AFP

If you’ve ever forgotten to cancel an online subscription, you probably know the feeling of being locked into another month of a service you don’t want. Many people write this off as a cost of the digital economy. But for China’s state-run news outlet People’s Daily, auto-renewing subscriptions are a scourge that must be stopped.

In a commentary published on Tuesday, the outlet blasted Chinese app makers for automatically renewing users’ subscriptions. The practice is a “trap” for consumers and needs to be more strongly regulated, the piece argues.

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