Since this discussion is about app features, not website features, that shouldn't matter here. By "a long time" I obviously mean since the features were available in app form.
And while you may view it as an add-on, the fact is that today it most likely is an essencial tool for a whole lot of people.
Nowadays smartphone adoption is through the roof. Thanks to that, people can leave their work and easily log something on their way home since the phone is almost always on their pocket. You can do impromptu hunts without having to plan something days ahead. Out with someone doing something else and there's a lull? Just whip out your phone and start searching. Or people may simply not want to invest on a separate device when they already have a smartphone that can get a GPS signal, even if less reliably.
That said, there's still not a single valid reason for why those features should disappear from the app feature set for Basic Members... I mean, other than clearly being a cash grab. Why would these features be removed from general availability if not for that? (Not to mention that it's borderline offensive to the people who paid for the app and are not Premium - they get absolutely nothing back for the money they paid)
I understand trying to come up with new features and being creative is hard, but removing features that have been available since the app's inception is unfair and anti-consumer. Premium users should absolutely get more support and features, but not at the cost of all other users.
Even from a business PoV, I don't think people getting into Geocaching will find it very appealing to see so many things behind a monthly/yearly plan (again, the app is the first contact point for many people currently), which can turn them away completely before they even get to the website. I mean even people that already used the app are turning their backs because of that. Just look at the reviews on both storefronts.
