Alongside its weekly App Store refresh this week, Apple introduced a new page that helps App Store users “learn more about in-app purchases.” The guide explains what in-app purchases are, how they work, and most importantly, how to prevent your kids from spending a small fortune on them without your permission.
In-app purchases have become a big issue for some users, especially parents who don’t really understand them, or how to prevent them. They then find that their children have purchased items withins games without their knowledge, and it’s not until they receive a hefty iTunes bill that they realize what’s happened.
Back in January, 5-year-old Danny Kitchen from the U.K. amassed a $2,550 iTunes bill in just 10 minutes after buying additional content within an iPad game. Two months later, a British policeman reported his 13-year-old son for fraud in an effort to recover the $5,620 iTunes bill had had amassed on more than 300 in-app purchases within iOS games.
Apple now wants to prevent situations like this by teaching users all they need to know about in-app purchases. A new page added to the App Store on iOS devices, entitled “Learn More About In-App Purchases,” explains what in-app purchases are, the different types, how they work, and how you can block them on iOS devices using the built-in parental controls.
Back in March, Apple began labeling apps with in-app purchases in an effort to make them easier to identify when browsing the App Store.
Source: App Store