Apple Adds 'Offers In-App Purchases' Disclosure for App Store Apps [Update: Now on iOS Stores]

angry_birds_in_app_purchaseAs noted by The Guardian, Apple today rolled out a new "Offers In-App Purchases" disclosure directly underneath the Buy/Free button for App Store apps supporting the feature. The addition helps make clear to potential purchasers that free or even paid apps may require additional purchases in order to unlock the apps' full functionality or for other benefits such as acquiring in-game currency.

The new tagline is currently only appearing in the desktop version of the App Store that sits within iTunes. For now, it's not shown in the iOS App Store app, nor does it appear on webpages for iOS apps.

Apple confirmed to The Guardian that the message is a new addition to the App Store. Its location – directly below the icon and "Free" button on each app's page – makes it even easier for people to identify that an app uses in-app purchases (IAP) before downloading it.

Apple just recently settled a lawsuit over the issue of children being able to make unauthorized in-app purchases sometimes totaling as much as thousands of dollars. With today's move, Apple is clearly attempting to make it even more clear to users before they download or purchase an app whether it includes In-App Purchase content.

The report notes that Apple could easily use the new disclosure to deploy a filter that would allow parents to restrict their children's downloads to only free apps with no In-App Purchase content, but the company has not yet taken that step.

Update: The notifications are now on the iOS App Store as well.

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...

Top Rated Comments

Dr McKay Avatar
160 months ago
...or it should say "You should play with your kids instead".

Yes because all parents do is play with their kids, they never need the kids to be quiet for half an hour while you cook dinner etc.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adokimus Avatar
160 months ago
This is designed for stupid / ignorant / lawsuit happy people.

This comment is designed for people with a false sense of superiority.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
komodrone Avatar
160 months ago
...or it should say "You should play with your kids instead".
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adokimus Avatar
160 months ago
Already a bunch of naysayers (pretty standard for any apple news), but I think this is great. I'm not worried about making accidental purchases, but I like having a quick way to know if I'm buying an entire app or if they are going to nickel and dime me for "add ons" or anything else. It's commendable to be creating more informed consumers.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
160 months ago
Forgive my ignorance, but if you make an in-app purchase, doesn't it require your password? :confused:

Yes. Of course, some people _are_ stupid and give their kids a password and the kids know the credit card. More problematic, once you enter the password (to download a free app), it keeps working for 15 minutes. Which is excellent if you are looking for a dozen songs to download and don't have to enter your password each time, but bad if your kids can buy super power berries for $100 in a game.

An improvement to the password "15 minute" rule would be to allow no purchases more expensive than the original one. So: Free game -> no paid purchases. 99cent game -> no purchases over 99cent. That would stop the worst cases, but you can still download a dozen songs within fifteen minutes.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
slicecom Avatar
160 months ago
I'd like to see "Free" apps with in app purchases in a completely separate category from apps that are actually free/ad supported.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)