Apple Highlights Age Ratings in iOS App Store With New Icons

[MacRumors]

Apple yesterday rolled out another tweak for its iOS App Store, adding age rating icons to the top section of each app's information page. While the ratings have long been included in app details at the bottom of the pages, the new icons are much more prominent to help parents quickly assess whether a given app might be age appropriate for their children.

The change comes roughly two weeks after Apple added new "Offers In-App Purchases" labels to relevant App Store listings in another effort to make parents and other customers more aware of potential costs involved with apps.

Article Link: Apple Highlights Age Ratings in iOS App Store With New Icons

 

[musicpenguy]

In-App-Purchases are also showcased there - noticed this earlier today.

 

[Klae17]

OUR CHILDREN NEED PROTECTION!! They need iBubbleSuits.

 

[chuckd83]

Apple doing your parenting for you. "Wait, are you 9 years old yet? Ok, here's Final Fantasy."

 

[roland.g]

Unfortunately what iOS App store does not do well is make it easy to search for educational games, learning, and creativity apps by age range. So it isn't easy to determine which "Children's" category apps are better for a 3 and 5 year old than for a 8 or 10 year old.

With so many apps available, it's a lot of junk to wade through.

AppShopper is pretty much a useless site and app too, and not just for Kids stuff but their entire search engine and paradigm is flawed for the consumer. It's only useful if you know what you are looking for, in which case I wouldn't need their site.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Every science teacher ever is probably going bananas over the lack of units with that number. 9+ What!? Is that how many hours the app runs?

I feel parents may not understand either. Having the words "For Ages" above it would be useful.

 

[MacFan23]

Every science teacher ever is probably going bananas over the lack of units with that number. 9+ What!? Is that how many hours the app runs?

I feel parents may not understand either. Having the words "For Ages" above it would be useful.

 

[vigorblade]

Mystery Solved !

I was wondering why it had 4+ next to my app's icon, when I went to update. Now I know...

 

[Weegee1]

Every science teacher ever is probably going bananas over the lack of units with that number. 9+ What!? Is that how many hours the app runs?

I feel parents may not understand either. Having the words "For Ages" above it would be useful.

What else would "9+" mean?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

What else would "9+" mean?

Number of hours it can run on a fully charged battery. How highly Apple's employees rate it. IDK, you'd be surprised at the kinds of weird things people will mistakenly think it's referring to... Particularly in the context of an app in general rather than of a game or educational app in particular.

 

[C DM]

Number of hours it can run on a fully charged battery. How highly Apple's employees rate it. IDK, you'd be surprised at the kinds of weird things people will mistakenly think it's referring to... Particularly in the context of an app in general rather than of a game or educational app in particular.

And that's the underlying issue of trying to cater to all that kind of "weird"/"mistaken" stuff--going for the lowest common denominator doesn't really result in all that much good for the majority (whether most realize it or not).

 

[.Asa]

I think Apple's age ratings are really messed up. I have played some really gruesome games that were only rated 9+, while some 12+ apps have apparently no inappropriate content at all. And google chrome is rated 17+ just because there is 17+ stuff on the internet.

 

[Weegee1]

And that's the underlying issue of trying to cater to all that kind of "weird"/"mistaken" stuff--going for the lowest common denominator doesn't really result in all that much good for the majority (whether most realize it or not).

Wait, isn't a very low lowest common denominator a good thing? The stupid people would be those who are big prime numbers.

 

[charlituna]

I think Apple's age ratings are really messed up. I have played some really gruesome games that were only rated 9+, while some 12+ apps have apparently no inappropriate content at all. And google chrome is rated 17+ just because there is 17+ stuff on the internet.

The developers pick the rating that's why it's so messed up.

 

[adder7712]

Can the ESRB ratings be applied to iOS and Android games?

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Every science teacher ever is probably going bananas over the lack of units with that number. 9+ What!? Is that how many hours the app runs?

I feel parents may not understand either. Having the words "For Ages" above it would be useful.

How much time do you think for people to figure out the fact that it's not for 9+ hours? Most people use common sense, you know. But putting "for ages" up there would be useful.

 

[GenesisST]

Every science teacher ever is probably going bananas over the lack of units with that number. 9+ What!? Is that how many hours the app runs?

I feel parents may not understand either. Having the words "For Ages" above it would be useful.

Wow... I reckon natural selection missed a few people out there if that's the case...

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Wow... I reckon natural selection missed a few people out there if that's the case...

Natural selection ended when welfare started.

 

[ConCat]

Natural selection ended when welfare started.

Doesn't get truer than that folks.