“Mommy look at what I just found on your iPad!”
Apple must now be regretting making apps so easy to buy on their products. A lawsuit filed in 2011 by parents who had found that their children had been buying apps/items on the Apple app store, some to the cost of $1400, may soon be settled by a multi-million dollar settlement by Apple. The parents sued the company on grounds that "Apple failed to adequately disclose that third-party game apps, largely available for free and rated as containing content suitable for children, contained the ability to make in-app purchases."
Previously, since a password was not required for a purchase once an app/game was open, children were able to buy “items” freely without being prompted for a password and many parents had been shocked to receive their iTunes Store bill. Apple has now incorporated a password timeout so that users now have to re-enter their password each time to make any purchases.
People who can show that a child made an in-app purchase (IAP) can claim either iTunes Store credits, or cash settlements in cases where parents say the cost of purchases exceeded $30, a move that is expected to cost Apple up to $100m (Approx. Dh360 million) and as many as 23 million people could receive compensation. However, it is understood that this settlement would apply only to US customers.
A US court has to approve the proposed settlement, which will be heard on Friday 1 March. For more details, visit the original article here.
As for Parents in the UAE: I think this makes it clear it’s time for you to realize iPads and iPhones are not meant for 3 year olds! (Feel free to give me one of your kids’ though!)
