GoodShort - Short Dramas Hub v2.5.9 adds $20 weekly fee and cancellation traps, April 2026

Official release notes for version 2.5.9 vaguely state "Optimize performance and improve user experience," masking the actual changes.^[1] The publisher introduced and heavily pushed a $19.99 weekly subscription tier^[2]GlossarySubscription TierA distinct subscription level with its own price and feature set — typically 2-4 tiers (e.g., Free / Plus / Pro / Premium) covering different willingness-to-pay segm... branded as "Weekly VIPGlossaryWhale (High-Spending Player)A player who spends substantially more than the average paying user — typically the top 2-5% of paying players by lifetime spend, who generate ~80% of F2P revenue.."

For non-paying users, the update enforced a hard daily limit of five free episodes, even when watching advertisements. The Apple App Store page lists multiple high-cost in-app purchases, confirming the shift away from a broadly accessible free tier.

Beyond the steep price increase, the update deployed questionable sales tactics. External Apple sources confirm that the app's "3-day free trials" are misleading^[3], offering only a few free episodes before enforcing a paywallGlossaryPaywallThe in-app screen that asks the user to subscribe or buy — the single most revenue-sensitive surfa^[4]ce in a subscription app..

The billing cycle also trapped users. Users must navigate external device settings to cancel their subscriptions, as documented by online tutorial videos, because the interface lacks a straightforward cancellation button.

Before version 2.5.9, viewers praised the ad-supported model, with one 5-star reviewer noting they liked the "opportunities for fee viewing." The update ended this sentiment.

Post-update reviews highlight deep frustration with the new constraints. A 1-star reviewer on version 2.5.9 stated, "19.99 a week is a bit much and they make it impossible to cancel your membership." Another 5-star reviewer lamented the strict limits, noting, "in yalls advertisements you say it’s free but u can only watch five episodes a day for free."

The publisher likely shipped these changes to maximize immediate returns. The $19.99 weekly tier suggests a shift toward charging a small segment of high-spending users rather than relying on broad ad revenueGlossaryAd RevenueThe revenue an app earns from showing ads — fundamentally impressions × eCPM, after fill rate and the mediation layer decide which requests get filled and at what pr....

The misleading trial claims and cancellation difficulty appear to be intentional friction points designed to boost trial conversions and prevent churnGlossaryChurnThe rate at which users stop using an app (general churn) or cancel a subscription (subscription churn) over a time window — retention's mathematical complement.. This likely indicates the publisher faces high user acquisition costs in the short drama market and is attempting to extract more revenue per user. These figures compare the 84 US App Store reviews tagged with v2.5.8 against the 71 tagged with v2.5.9, measured on 2026-04-28.

GoodShort maintains a large audience, recording over 1.4 million downloads over the last 30 days on the US iOS App Store. However, the ongoing user frustration suggests that organic download numbers will likely decline over the next few weeks.

If the average ratingGlossaryStar RatingThe 1-5 star average users give your app on the App Store and Google Play — a primary ranking signal and one of the biggest conversion drivers on your product page. for new reviews remains at 3.72 stars, Apple could potentially reduce the app's visibility in App Store search results. The publisher will likely need to clarify its free trial terms or lower the weekly subscription price to stabilize user sentiment.