After multiple complaints from parents and other App Store users about mistakenly buying in-app purchases, the Cupertino company is finally addressing the widespread complaint. Last week, Apple quietly updated the App Store to add a note to the “Free” apps in the store that mentions on the bottom that it “Offers In-App Purchases.” This warning is currently displayed only on the iTunes App Store, but will likely be available on iOS soon, as that is where the unintended purchases are usually made.
A number of users, mostly parents have complained that their children unknowingly make purchases for upgrades, and other tokens inside of applications. Some of these In-App purchases can range anywhere from $1 and sometimes can go past $100.
There have been a number of reports on the issues that customers have had with the flawed in-app purchasing system, including a five-year-old boy in Britain that charged £1,700 to his parents credit cards through in-app purchases in the game Zombie.
Apple has been sued by some customers, including a man from Phoenixville, PA, who filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the company was allowed to “pocket millions of dollars” off of unauthorized purchases. In order to address the concerns, not only has Apple added the new warning, the company has also begun to refund money and give $5 iTunes credits to customers who filed claims that the in-app purchases were an error. It is unclear what other actions Apple will take if the issue persists.
{Via AppleInsider}
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