Apple adds in-app purchase warning to 'freemium' App Store titles
Attempting to lessen the incidence of unauthorized excessive in-app purchases, Apple quietly added a feature to App Store listings that points out when a free app features paid in-app content.
Users browsing the App Store today will notice that, underneath the "Free" price of some apps, there is a subtle note that the app "Offers In-App Purchases." The warning is currently only featured on the desktop-version of the App Store, but it may be making its way to the iOS version soon.
In-app purchases have been a point of contention for some iOS users, who assert that it is too easy to make inadvertent or unauthorized buys in third-party titles. In 2011, a Phoenixville, PA, man filed suit against Apple, claiming that the company had been allowed to "pocket millions of dollars" on unauthorized purchases, calling for Apple to revamp its password policy to prevent such transactions. Apple moved to settle the case in late February of this year, offering claimants $5 iTunes credits and refunds for claims over $30.
More recently, a Belfast boy charged ?980 to his parents' iTunes account buying in-game donuts in an iOS Simpsons game. Apple refunded the money to the boy's parents, though the parents expressed concern that the same could happen to other people. Shortly before that incident, a five-year-old in Britain charged ?1,700 to his parents credit cards while playing the game Zombie.
Users browsing the App Store today will notice that, underneath the "Free" price of some apps, there is a subtle note that the app "Offers In-App Purchases." The warning is currently only featured on the desktop-version of the App Store, but it may be making its way to the iOS version soon.
In-app purchases have been a point of contention for some iOS users, who assert that it is too easy to make inadvertent or unauthorized buys in third-party titles. In 2011, a Phoenixville, PA, man filed suit against Apple, claiming that the company had been allowed to "pocket millions of dollars" on unauthorized purchases, calling for Apple to revamp its password policy to prevent such transactions. Apple moved to settle the case in late February of this year, offering claimants $5 iTunes credits and refunds for claims over $30.
More recently, a Belfast boy charged ?980 to his parents' iTunes account buying in-game donuts in an iOS Simpsons game. Apple refunded the money to the boy's parents, though the parents expressed concern that the same could happen to other people. Shortly before that incident, a five-year-old in Britain charged ?1,700 to his parents credit cards while playing the game Zombie.
Comments
How about putting a dark red box around it?! My stars. I standing ovate Apple's subtlety in design (the iCloud status page, for one), but this is something that shouldn't be.
Like their blue boxes that say "New" and their orange boxes that say "Coming soon" or "Beta", this should be a red box with white text.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
How about putting a dark red box around it?! My stars. I standing ovate Apple's subtlety in design (the iCloud status page, for one), but this is something that shouldn't be.
Like their blue boxes that say "New" and their orange boxes that say "Coming soon" or "Beta", this should be a red box with white text.
How about some perspective? Not all in-app purchases are bad.
Love the political wording.
Originally Posted by Gustav
How about some perspective? Not all in-app purchases are bad.
Thanks for claiming I said that ANY of them were. Nice strawman.
How should it be worded?
Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton
How should it be worded?
Economically.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
How about putting a dark red box around it?! My stars. I standing ovate Apple's subtlety in design (the iCloud status page, for one), but this is something that shouldn't be.
Like their blue boxes that say "New" and their orange boxes that say "Coming soon" or "Beta", this should be a red box with white text.
I absolutely agree on this, Apple is the best at making things beautiful, and I am sure they could pull it off. But wouldn't it have to be on a case-by-case basis? As someone said, not all in-app purchases are bad, but for those games that rely on the freemium model, I think it would certainly be an asset.
That's not to say that an iPad is a replacement for good parenting...
Gonna get me some Smurfberries!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
How about putting a dark red box around it?! My stars. I standing ovate Apple's subtlety in design (the iCloud status page, for one), but this is something that shouldn't be.
Like their blue boxes that say "New" and their orange boxes that say "Coming soon" or "Beta", this should be a red box with white text.
I disagree. The fact that an app OFFERS in-app purchases (which most people will not even utilize) does not need to scream for attention. It's pretty low importance in the heirarchy of information, and believe it or not, a large chunk of people do not even understand what it means. making it more attention grabbing would be counter productive, especially making it red, as that denotes a warning, or a negative point which I'm sure Apple would rather avoid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton
How should it be worded?
Under the "Free" button it should say "sort of" in brackets
Where have you been? Guess you didn't hear about the kid that racked up over £1000 using IAPs?
That makes no sense, there's 2 versions of Angry Birds, the paid and the free with ads. If you got the paid version there's no way you'd see ads.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ombra2105
That's not to say that an iPad is a replacement for good parenting...
Exactly!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ombra2105
? As someone said, not all in-app purchases are bad, but for those games that rely on the freemium model, I think it would certainly be an asset.
and have them sued for unfair treatment?
mark them all
Honestly, I want to know the same thing. In app purchases are shut off on my phone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Techboy
Tired of this in-app purchase drama...this small warning label won't stop any unwanted in-app purchases from kids...just make the process more difficult or pass the refund cost to developer. There is no way this problem can be resolve without anyone admitting any wrong doing: greedy developer vs Apple's 30% cut vs parents that shouldn't put a $300~700 device in a young child's hands without taking some responsibility.
You're right it won't stop the problem. The only way is to give the kid their own iPad with their own Apple id, and have no credit card on that apple id. Charge it up with gift cards only.