Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Settles In-App Purchase Lawsuit, Offers iTunes Credits and Refunds to Parents
Apple has settled a lawsuit brought in 2011 after children ran up hundreds of dollars in spending on in-app purchases in freemium games.The company will give iTunes credits to parents who claim their minor bought in-app items without permission and the option of cash refunds for claims over $30.
Reports GigaOm:
The proposed settlement comes after parents sued Apple in 2011 upon discovering that their minor children had racked up credit card charges in supposedly free games. The issue was the subject of a Daily Show feature about a father whose kids racked up hundreds of dollars to keep virtual fish alive in a game called “Tap Fish.”The FTC looked into parental concerns over in-app purchases, but apparently let the lawsuit run its course before acting. The agency has examined other issues with kids using mobile apps, particularly around privacy. Late last year, the agency expanded the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act to cover mobile games and social media.
[…]
In order to collect under the settlement, Apple users will have to attest that a minor bought “game currency” and that the user did not provide the minor with the Apple password.
Apple will send email notices to the 23 million iTunes account holders who are affected by the settlement. The full settlement document is available on Scribd.
The company began requiring passwords for in-app purchases in iOS 4.3, soon after concerns over unauthorized purchases came to light. In-app purchases can now also be shut off entirely.
[ 155 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
86 months ago
"but I gave my child full access to my phone, and my child did something I didn't want my child to do. WAHHHHHHH IT'S YOUR FAULT APPLE"
86 months ago
More like parenting fail. I rarely am on Apple's side on some issues, but this is one where parenting needs to happen. Things as common as telling your kids, don't buy stuff even if its the game are common sense.
Parenting now a days is easier than ever and yet, parents keep finding the blame anywhere but themselves.
it's not as straightforward as that.
Many games were designed to take advantage of this fact by making the in-app-purchase deceptively easy to purchase, and it not being very clear that real money was being charged (since no password was required).
arn
86 months ago
Why can't there be an option to disable in-app purchases?
Did you read the article? There is that option now, but there wasn't at first.
I think this is partially Apple's responsibility, since they weren't requesting a password when the in-app purchasing feature was first added, making it too easy for kids to make unauthorized purchases.
86 months ago
Parents out there
Stop spoiling your kids!
Go throw them outside and let them play for Christ sake!
Why back in my days we'd play till it got dark not on our devices.
Stop spoiling your kids!
Go throw them outside and let them play for Christ sake!
Why back in my days we'd play till it got dark not on our devices.
86 months ago
I think some of you guys and gals maybe be jumping the gun without giving it much thought.
There are parents out there that have multiple devices but share the same iTunes account on these same devices. This allows you to buy an app one time but it automatically installs on all devices depending on your settings. Buying an app in the app store requires a password before the purchase and this password is usually kept from the kids.
Now that we covered the bases, there are many free apps out there that have in app purchases available. Reading this article, it sounds like a kid can just go in some apps and purchase something without being prompted for a password using the default iTunes account. Guess what? That crap is NOT COOL and NOT THE PARENTS FAULT.
Settings should be put in place to prevent that from happening going forward. Disabling in-app purchases is a start but purchasing in-app should be the same as a normal purchase to begin with.
There are parents out there that have multiple devices but share the same iTunes account on these same devices. This allows you to buy an app one time but it automatically installs on all devices depending on your settings. Buying an app in the app store requires a password before the purchase and this password is usually kept from the kids.
Now that we covered the bases, there are many free apps out there that have in app purchases available. Reading this article, it sounds like a kid can just go in some apps and purchase something without being prompted for a password using the default iTunes account. Guess what? That crap is NOT COOL and NOT THE PARENTS FAULT.
Settings should be put in place to prevent that from happening going forward. Disabling in-app purchases is a start but purchasing in-app should be the same as a normal purchase to begin with.
86 months ago
Sorry, but thats BS. If you hand a payment method to a child, you shouldn't be surprised when they buy something. Thats the parents fault.
The phone by itself shouldn't be a payment method is the arguement. And it isn't now. It was before, but only in one specific instance which certain developers optimized for, in the hopes of tricking some kids into buying things.
These weren't "accidental" purchases on the part of many of the app developers, but carefully crafted in app buying guided experiences.
arn
86 months ago
So if you let a child drive a car and they wreck it you can take it back to the dealer for a refund? So sick of the lack of personal responsibility that's been a trend over the last decade. If you or your dependents screw up it's your fault, own up to it.
Exactly, because, i mean, clearly letting a 5 year old drive a car is on EXACTLY the same moral plane as saying "yes you can play dress-up dolly on my phone". Exactly the same thing.
Why don't all you nuts try this.
Exact same situation but replace "Apple" with "Samsung" or "Android"
Oooohhhh those evil companies are taking advantage of people. They are horrible blah blah blah...
[ Read All Comments ]
Apple's biggest product unveiling of the year is now in our rear-view mirror, with the company taking the wraps off of new iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad models while also prepping for the launch...
On the same day that iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max pre-orders began, some customers are already beginning to see their order statuses shift from "processing" to...
Struggling movie ticket subscription MoviePass is finally shutting down after months of questionable policy changes and what seems like a never ending stream of negative press due to an inability to...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Jackery to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station and a Jackery Solar Saga 100W Solar Panel.
...
The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max are now available for pre-order on Apple.com and cellular carriers as of this morning. As usual, most carriers are offering some perks if you...
The Academy Software Foundation, a collaborative effort to advance open source software development in the motion picture and media industries, today announced that Apple has joined the foundation as...
Spotify will require family plan members to provide their location data "from time to time" to prove they're all living under the same roof, in an effort to curb subscribers who abuse the...
If you're planning on trading in your old iPhone for a new one, there are some steps you'll want to take beforehand to ensure it's de-linked from your accessories and accounts and that...
