AppleInsider Staff
In a change to the iOS App Store pushed out alongside Tuesday's iOS 7.1.1 release, Apple has added labels to listed apps and games that include in-app purchases, with the notifications showing up in both iOS and desktop versions of iTunes.
With the addition, users will see a small "In-app purchases" label just below the app's price, denoting that the title includes the feature even if it is a free download. The new notifications can be found in various App Store lists, like "Top Charts" and individual app categories.
Apple's modification to the digital app marketplace is just the latest in a string of enhancements made to educate customers about in-app purchases, a feature some younger users may not fully comprehend. In March of 2013, so-called "freemium" apps acquired the "Offers In-App Purchases" label, though the warning was displayed only after clicking on an app's description.
More specifically, the move is likely part of an effort to avoid inadvertent purchases made by children who have been known to rack up in-app fees that get charged to their parents' credit cards.
In February 2013, Apple settled a lawsuit leveled by a group of parents whose children accrued hundreds of dollars in bills through in-app purchases. The company paid out $5 iTunes gift card or cash equivalents for some plaintiffs, while those with larger tabs over $30 received full refunds.
Wesley Hilliard
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
8 Comments
I think the for universal apps is a bad choice. Should be like this: nothing: no in app purchases, for this device only : in app purchases universal (under the button): all iOS devices. or even "all devices" Would be more intuitive I believe.
This is good. I don't like to mess with checking out an app to find out whether it will take in-app purchases to do what it is said to do for free. There's also a lot of apps that love to crash and it's only by reading the reviews you find out the app crashes and has been doing so for months without being fixed.
I hate the so called "freemium" model. Although I do believe that Apple needs to allow a trial facility should the developer wish to add it.
Agree, good to see that Apple is moving in the right direction here. Wrote a post about the current problems with freemium last month here http://blog.gamechangersf.com/2014/03/the-free-apps-that-rule-app-stores-are.html
STILL USELESS until Apple allows us to search for apps which do NOT offer IAPs - that's all I need.