What does forcing people to give email at first app open do to usage?

>...can't even find out how they work without giving my email address

Overlooking that the ASRGs discourage such a requirement...

In general, it's all about the money, and how personal information has worth. They only care about harvesting as much per$onal data as they can, and those apps are just a means to that end. Last I checked, a valid email is worth approx. USD$40...if you know what it cost you to get that app in the store, you can calculate how many validated users you need to ensnare to make a profit.

The smart ones will fake their email and/or delete the app and/or leave a negative review...users that give up good info, and stick around, self-validate their gullibility. Those are the ones that privacy thieves love the most - the app is just a shiny object to attract prey.

Not sure why you want to force email release at the very beginning just to help w/app support. Perhaps if you talked about your app(s) someone could offer ways to proceed that won't tick off review and users in the bargain.