EcoFlow issues statement after new paywall reports spark customer concerns

EcoFlow has attempted to address recent customer pushback about a potential subscription service. The company offers a wide range of products like the PowerStream Balcony Solar System and portable power stations. Many of these can be remotely controlled via the EcoFlow smartphone app.

Recent user reports indicated that some in-app features available via the were now labelled with a gold diamond, indicating that they sat behind a paywall. These included Intelligent Energy Planning priced at £3.99/€3.99. According to EcoFlow, a small group of customers were invited to an early round of testing of what it has labelled as new "advanced features" in the app.

EcoFlow has since released a statement via its Facebook page in response to customers' concerns. The company said that it would not go ahead with a paid subscription model until it had "fully considered and evaluated our user opinions". It also stated that all existing features for PowerStream users would not be placed behind a paywall. If there were to be any new subscription costs, the company stated that these would be linked to new "cutting-edge technologies tailored to specific critical needs". 

In the post, EcoFlow indicated that it may need to charge for some tools to allow it to "continue maintaining and developing" them. The company went on to suggest that, while a subscription model would increase the cost of running the device for some users, it would prevent others from being charged upfront for features they would not need to use. While some users seem to have appreciated the update from EcoFlow, others remain sceptical as to what may happen in the future. You can view a screenshot of the full message from EcoFlow below, with the user reaction available in the comments.