Solved AVG Free saying subscription ends tomorrow

[Spartan]

I installed AVG Free for someone a couple of weeks ago. Today he contacted me saying its saying subscription will expire tomorrow and if he should pay? I said no! So I logged in to his computer and at first I was thinking he might have accidentally chosen the free trial for the paid version but it showed AVG Free in the title bar so that as not the case.

I Googled this and people suggested simply uninstalling then reinstalling AVG free so I uninstalled it then rebooted, then I ran AVGClear.exe to get rid of leftovers then rebooted again and reinstalled AVG Free but again, it was showing, subscription expires in 1 day, you will no longer be protected.

What gives?

 

[nickstar1]

if the above has not worked you can try contacting support might also be an issue with servers. Official AVG Support | Sales Support

 

[upnorth]

after 12 months, the application may prompt you to activate it again. To continue using AVG AntiVirus FREE, follow the activation steps in this article

How to activate AVG AntiVirus FREE | AVG

Step-by-step instructions to activate AVG AntiVirus FREE on Windows PC.

support.avg.com

 

[partha_roy]

Looks by design although not quite sure why they designed the free version to have an expiry date when it is supposed to be free forever. See if this step highlighted below helps

Sourced from AVG Free Version Ending?? | AVG

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

That is how freemium model works. They try to convert you from free rider to paying user.
@Spartan Easiest way to prevent this is to create gmail account (e.g. HappyAVGuserNr1@gmail.com) and register this account as free user at AVG (or Avast) and use/connect that account into the AVG program on your acquaintance PC. This way you will be able to check from time to time remotely (siging in that AVG account via the internet) on the AVG installation. Because of the freemium model, the free users will always get some upsell messages/promotions to/for the paid version.

 

[Spartan]

That is how freemium model works. They try to convert you from free rider to paying user.
@Spartan Easiest way to prevent this is to create gmail account (e.g. HappyAVGuserNr1@gmail.com) and register this account as free user at AVG (or Avast) and use/connect that account into the AVG program on your acquaintance PC. This way you will be able to check from time to time remotely (siging in that AVG account via the internet) on the AVG installation. Because of the freemium model, the free users will always get some upsell messages/promotions to/for the paid version.

but I recall Avast Free is Free, they try to upsell you on higher suites but not a message saying your subscription expires tomorrow as if you installed a demo

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

I have also seen that with Avast, that is why I have registered fmily members with a HappyAvastUserNr1 (Nr2 etc) gmail account.

 

[partha_roy]

That is how freemium model works. They try to convert you from free rider to paying user.
@Spartan Easiest way to prevent this is to create gmail account (e.g. HappyAVGuserNr1@gmail.com) and register this account as free user at AVG (or Avast) and use/connect that account into the AVG program on your acquaintance PC. This way you will be able to check from time to time remotely (siging in that AVG account via the internet) on the AVG installation. Because of the freemium model, the free users will always get some upsell messages/promotions to/for the paid version.

AVG Free does upsell by advertising their firewall and other features reserved for higher tier suites, which is OK, but having an expiration date for a free product is misleading to me, when we all know that it will not expire

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

I understand your thoughts about it. I am not defending their tactics, just explaining. AVG/AVAST is the most successful fremium model AV-company (and they also offer the most complete free package).

 

[TairikuOkami]

Looks by design although not quite sure why they designed the free version to have an expiry date when it is supposed to be free forever.

To be aware of the number of active subscribers, not just active users, who could use one license for multiple devices. Some people also use it offline with offline updates.

 

[partha_roy]

To be aware of the number of active subscribers, not just active users, who could use one license for multiple devices. Some people also use it offline with offline updates.

Could you please elaborate?

 

[TairikuOkami]

Could you please elaborate?

Avast is all about data collection, they like to know every angle there is and whether the freemium model pays off. Like Bitdefender, they canceled their free AV just to bring it back again.