Pixlr mobile: why ads?

If you’re a user of the Autodesk Pixlr mobile app, in the coming weeks you may begin seeing advertisements inside the iOS and Android app. You may be asking yourself: Why are you doing this? We’re committed to being transparent with our users, so we’re taking this opportunity to offer a few details about introducing ads to Pixlr mobile.
First and foremost: Providing services costs money
We’ve been providing free apps for desktop, for the web, and for mobile for many years. Like all such services, running it takes money. Simply put, including ads helps us defray these costs.
Revenue now funds improvements tomorrow
We have a staff of people who are dedicated to improving the apps we currently offer and working on next-generation apps to satisfy the changing trends of digital art. We want to make bigger and better apps and provide services for more and more people. That only happens if we can prove — to ourselves and to others — that our products and services show real value. In other words, making money shows we’re on the right (sustainable) path.
We’re offering a nominal fee for ad removal
We know some people simply won’t stand for advertising of any kind. So we’re providing a simple and easy way to remove ads with a one-time, in-app purchase. The cost for ad removal is $1.99. We thought a lot about this price and feel like it’s a very good price for such a comprehensive photo editing app. We also feel like a one-time charge is much better for users than asking them to purchase new content packs on a regular basis. One time. One price.
Those are the main details about advertising in Pixlr mobile, but we know that even simple, straightforward changes can lead to a lot of questions. We’ve put together a few FAQs that will hopefully answer any additional questions you have. If they don’t, send us an email with your questions or feedback. We’ll do our best to listen and answer.
A few FAQs….
I’m a Pixlr Pro subscriber. Can I remove ads by signing in?
Yes! We wanted to make sure we added a way to remove those ads for Pro users. Our yearly Pro subscribers deserve that (for sure!). If you sign in with a Pro subscription, you won’t see any ads.
If I purchase ad removal on my device, does it apply to other devices?
Ad removal is tied to your purchase using an Apple ID or Google Play account, so it applies to other devices if you use the same account to log in on another device.
If I purchase ad removal on my mobile device, will I be able to remove ads on the web? 
Ad removal on your mobile device is only for that device. Some of our apps at pixlr.com will continue to include ads.
Who is charging my credit card for ad removal? 
If you’re an iTunes user, this purchase will go through the iTunes Store. If you’re an Android user, you’ll purchase through Google Play.
Can I pay by PayPal? 
At this time, we only are able to offer purchase of ad removal through the two designated app stores.
Wait! You didn’t answer my question!
Shoot us an email. We’re collecting feedback to share with our team and answering questions if people have them.