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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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As part of iOS 7.1.1, released earlier today, Apple has implemented some minor changes to the iOS App Store to make it more clear which apps offer in-app purchases.

Apple has provided an "Offers In-App Purchases" disclosure on individual app detail pages since March of 2013, but now the App Store has been updated to include a small "In-App Purchases" notification for apps in Top Charts listings and on specific featured apps listings, such as in the "Great Free Games" category.

inapppurchases711.jpg
Old Top Charts view on left, new Top Charts view with in-app purchase disclosure on right
This expanded in-app purchase view allows users to determine which apps on the Top Free, Paid, and Grossing charts offer in-app purchases. The disclosure is also available on top category listings as well.

Apple's new in-app purchase warnings come following a January settlement with the FTC that saw Apple providing $32 million in refunds to parents whose children purchased unauthorized in-app items. Apple was also required to obtain express consent from consumers before billing them for an in-app purchase, a measure that it initially implemented with iOS 7.1.

In-app purchases have long been an issue for Apple, first landing the company in hot water with the FTC in 2011 after multiple parental complaints over children over-spending within apps. Apple has made many updates to its in-app purchase policies since that time, including requiring a separate passcode entry for initiating an in-app purchase and providing multiple notifications before a purchase is made.

Along with changes to the App Store, iOS 7.1.1 also includes improvements to Touch ID, Safari support for top-level domains such as .photo, and a few bug fixes. It can be downloaded over-the-air via the Software Update tool in the Settings menu.

Update 3:40 PM PT: Apple has notified developers that it is also adding new app content descriptions to the App Store.
You can now use the following descriptions: Medical/Treatment Information, Gambling and Contests, and Unrestricted Web Access (for apps that permit navigating and viewing web pages, for example with an embedded browser).
There are also new territory specific restrictions based on rating.

Article Link: iOS 7.1.1 Now Labels Apps with 'In-App Purchases' in Top Charts and Featured Sections
 

kiantech

macrumors regular
Jun 9, 2007
236
9
good! IAP have seriously become an epidemic in the app market. It's very greedy and makes it difficult for honest developers to succeed.
 

ineedamac

macrumors 6502
Jul 10, 2008
478
157
It can be downloaded over-the-air via the Software Update tool in the Settings menu.

Sorry, but I do not consider having to use wifi as "over-the-air". I know technically it may be. I'd just like to see these incremental updates be handled via LTE.
 

alent1234

macrumors 603
Jun 19, 2009
5,688
170
good! IAP have seriously become an epidemic in the app market. It's very greedy and makes it difficult for honest developers to succeed.


i don't mind if it's a way to buy new levels or characters or any traditional DLC type content. but now with the IAP nonsense of making the game playable at a normal rate only if you buy the coins or whatever i avoid almost every IAP game
 

6836838

Suspended
Jul 18, 2011
1,536
1,325
I will mentally read this as 'Avoid' for any free Apps now. What a splendiferous feature. Well done Apple!
 

nepalisherpa

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2011
2,258
1,330
USA
At this point, it's probably cleaner to mark apps with no in-app purchases as "No In-App Purchases".
 

tYNS

macrumors regular
Jul 18, 2001
230
359
In-App

I stopped even looking for apps all together. In-App Purchases ruined the app store. The FREE category should be relabelled DEMO.

It really does ruin the experience of app purchasing when it is littered with in-app greed.
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
Nicely done Apple.

I'm a game developer too (PC and console) and it worries me that so many people were willing and engaging in cheapening the art form. The games that engage in this offer little more than gambling, they play on hook addiction, they constantly request just a little bit of money and block off players until they pay up. That's gross and whilst this won't fix the epidemic of IAPs it might put people off getting the game.

I'm all for games offering DLC, especially when it was created after the release (and not partitioned off just to raise the cost of the base game). But the Casino style tactics employed by some games? Not cool at all.
 

apolloa

Suspended
Oct 21, 2008
12,318
7,802
Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
Google has been posting which apps have IAP for a while now and they state in the game descriptions if they have IAPs and what they are for? Plus this is EU law? Hardly worthy of a front page news story as they have to state which apps have IAP no matter where they are in the app store, this isn't something they have simply done out of choice:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/27/eu-consumers-apps-idUSL6N0LW2QF20140227

and:

Washington, Mar.01 (ANI): The European Union has reportedly asked tech giants Google and Apple to crack down on 'freemium' apps and set new rules to clearly distinguish between free apps and premium apps.
The EU officials met with representatives from Apple, Google and consumer protection agencies to discuss how developers represent in-app purchases to European consumers.
According to Mashable, the union has asked the companies to set new rules aimed at making app developers more transparent and to put in place new regulations to prevent children from making accidental purchases.
EU's justice commissioner, Viviane Reding, said that tighter regulations on how in-app purchases are made would ensure consumers are aware of exactly what they are buying.
Reding further said that misleading consumers is clearly the wrong business model and also goes against the spirit of EU rules on consumer protection.
The report said that the main issues to be addressed by the companies include wider transparency about games that are advertised as 'free,' informing consumers about the payment arrangements and purchases.
The union also aims to address that games do not contain direct exhortations to children to buy items in a game or to persuade an adult to buy items for them and traders should provide an email address so that consumers can contact them in case of queries or complaints.
Recently, Apple settled a complaint with the FTC that resulted in the company paying back consumers 32.5 million dollars for accidental in-app purchases made by children. (ANI)


http://newstrackindia.com/newsdetai...e-to-make-new-rules-for-in-app-purchases.html
 
Last edited:

iMerik

macrumors 6502a
May 3, 2011
666
522
Upper Midwest
Doesn't Candy Crush Saga also have IAPs to skip the timer?
Is it something about being required to make IAPs to simply play the game versus IAPs only allowing you to play through the game quicker? I don't know; I'm grasping at straws. I've only used Pandora out of that list.
 

KALLT

macrumors 603
Sep 23, 2008
5,355
3,375
Reminds me a bit of that asterisk that you see on advertisements. Free!*

* In combination with a 12-month subscription for €24,99 a month.
 

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
Doesn't Candy Crush Saga also have IAPs to skip the timer?
I think it is not showing in this pic since it is already purchased by the person.

----------

Is it something about being required to make IAPs to simply play the game versus IAPs only allowing you to play through the game quicker? I don't know; I'm grasping at straws. I've only used Pandora out of that list.
No, those are all IAP. It is listed that way in other screens of the App Store.
 

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
Google has been posting which apps have IAP for a while now? Plus this is EU law?

So have Apple. It's just more prominent in 7.1.1.

Hardly worthy of a front page news story as they have to state which apps have IAP no matter where they are in the app store, this isn't something they have simply done out of choice:

It's worthy of front page news because it is something that they are changing. Whether it is by choice or not is irrelevant.
 

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
Thank god. This is the first actual improvement to the App Store that I can remember.

:)
I actually found the one a year ago to show IAP details in the app pages of the Store to be huge. You can usually tell if the IAPs are freemium crap or just things to purchase.

This does add a quick-view that will be nice, though.
 

sdf

macrumors 6502a
Jan 29, 2004
838
1,128
Labelling free apps on the "top grossing" as having in app purchase seems a bit redundant, but I suppose it's better to connect all the dots for people sometimes.
 

Santiago

macrumors 6502
Jun 14, 2002
314
312
Mountain View, California
I wish they would differentiate between one-time IAPs (e.g. DLC) and repeated IAPs (e.g. "freemium" in-game currency / powerups needed to do anything). I'm cool with paying once for expansions and other forms of in-game content, including upgrading a free demo into a full app, but have zero interest in pay-to-play grindfests built around being frustrating and letting you pay to temporarily stop the frustration.
 

bsolar

macrumors 65816
Jun 20, 2011
1,490
1,600
Doesn't Candy Crush Saga also have IAPs to skip the timer?

In the first screenshot Candy Crush Saga is not downloaded yet (the button shows "FREE") but in the second one it's already downloaded and ready to be opened (the button shows "OPEN"). That's why the "in-App" label in the second screenshot is missing. If you don't have the App downloaded yet it correctly shows the "in-App" label.
 

ckelley

macrumors regular
Aug 25, 2003
140
236
Austin, TX
While there are stupid and predatory ones, mostly in games, there are a lot of applications that feature IAPs to get rid of things like ads or to add premium content that I think get lumped into the bad IAPs that everyone rails against.

For example, I don't think Speedtest.net or Accuweather are bad apps just because they feature an IAP to remove ads. Both are great apps that allow you to remove their advertising with an IAP, I don't see that as being a bad thing at all, and it allows for easier development by having them only maintain one app vs. "Speedtest.net Premium" or "Accuweather Premium" on top of the free one.

Same with MLB At Bat. It's free, but it has IAPs for MLB.tv or GameDay Audio, and is one of the highest grossing apps, but for most features you don't need to subscribe. Pandora as well, free app but uses IAPs for subscriptions, why should these be lumped in the same category as your Farm/Candy/Clans games that use IAPs for everything under the sun?

I'm against "stupid" use of IAPs, define that however you will, I'm just saying that I don't get the complete hate, that's all.
 
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