Apple Sends Email to iTunes Users Offering Refunds for Unauthorized In-App Purchases

[RobertMartens]

mass to some sounds redundant

not exactly the right word but I get what you mean

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Madness... if you are stupid it is your fault not Apple imho.

not so humble are you being in my opinion

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Didn't get one because I don't give my expensive equipment to children to use.

maybe you didn't know that many many children use iPads everyday

even in schools!!!!

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The problem with all this is not Apple or parents or children, its the "Freemium" model which has corrupted gaming. The idea of getting a free game which is simply made easier by, often, dumping hundreds of dollars into it has ruined gaming in general.

What Apple should do instead of placating parents who have fallen victim to the greedy freemium model is instead to turn against the app developers that are victimizing users with ridiculous schemes to make a game playable through what is essentially extortion.

But Apple is too prideful of their whole "millions and millions of Apps" tag line and so will never do anything to reduce the amount of greedy crapware that has plagued the App store and instead seem to want to protect the freemium model by ensuring that parents and children will fall victim to this scheme over and over again. Whatever millions Apple has to give back to parents pales in comparison to the billions Apple makes every year through in-app transactions.

Say what you will about Microsoft, but Microsoft did not create a market of greedy *******s developing trojan horses with a direct connection to people's credit cards. Hackers may have tried to exploit security holes in Windows to steal your identity or bank information, but Apple simply made this a prominent "feature" of gaming on an iDevice, and I think more people have been exploited by Freemium overall then anything Microsoft was at fault for doing.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with this one.

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Yeah, I was being sarcastic. Thought I laid it on pretty thick, too.

maybe sarcasm as an art form on the internet is a 'no go'

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I don't like the idea of offering refunds. I look at this as a valuable lesson for parents and one where they are paying Apple for that parental guidance. The parents are the ones who screwed up in these situations, and they deserve to take the financial hit. Apple and the developers who work tirelessly deserve to get paid.

you are kidding right

 

[nanogirl21]

what is the link to use?

 

[ericinboston]

While looking at the Purchase History, how does someone know if it's an in-app purchase or not? I don't see any indicator yet I know we've made a few in the past year.

Apple should make this more clear on the history presented to account owners...Obviously Apple keeps track of which is which in their datacenters.

 

[arkmannj]

Accounts

I really wish Apple would allow you to have a "Family Account"
With "Sub Accounts" for parents, kids, etc...
that way a parent could have better parental controls, put money in a kids account, etc...

 

[Gasu E.]

deleted by submitter

 

[Gasu E.]

But Apple is too prideful of their whole "millions and millions of Apps" tag line and so will never do anything to reduce the amount of greedy crapware that has plagued the App store and instead seem to want to protect the freemium model by ensuring that parents and children will fall victim to this scheme over and over again.

That's quite a rap on Apple Apps.
A toddler's tap: a bank account collapse.
Just how much crap is an Apple App?
A trap, a Pappy's nap, a mishap?
Oh worthy chap, do mind the gap,
and keep that child in your lap!

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Yeah, I was being sarcastic. Thought I laid it on pretty thick, too.

I found it quite amusing. And yes, the last line was a dead give-away.

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"Refund quest" doesn't sound like the most fun game in the world, doesn't it? That's a typo, the email is fine and I fixed it now!

I've played "rebate quest" many times... and lost more than once.

 

[kdarling]

But would you give an iPad etc to a toddler with the password wide open and it loaded up with apps that use IAP and then walk away and not pay attention to what they are doing.

Obviously not if someone knew the password was not required again.

However, many people did not know about this SECRET no-password mode.

And that's the point. It was a lousy UI/UX decision to have such a mode without any warning whatsoever.

You sound like someone that wouldn't so you would have no issue. But many folks have basically done this. And downloaded apps that are rated for 17+ for a 5 year old without looking at what it is. And told their kids the password cause Little Jimmy wouldn't.

That's NOT what happened to a lot of people.

They did NOT give out the password, nor were they downloading 17+ rated apps.

What happened (and why Apple got into trouble) is that they did not know about the hidden password window, and downloaded apps which took advantage of that lack of knowledge, by enticing children with pretty looking IAPs that seemed similar to other games that only used fake money.

For example, the following game was in the Apple App Store, listed for kids as young as 4. FOUR YEARS OLD.



Game makers counted on the fact that they could wait a few minutes, until the parent thought everything was okay and had stopped watching, and still have time to pop up one of these in front of the child before the password window expired.

On what planet is it even faintly moral to have $99 IAPs for virtual fish for a child's game?? Anyone who defends this practice in the slightest, should be ashamed.

The fact is, these parents believed that Apple had their best interest at heart, and they trusted in a password model that made sense.

 

[tshrimp]

Good for Apple.

I personally will not download an app if I see that it includes in-app purchases. It looks like things are going this way, but I hope it stops soon. Even saw this on a PS4 "Free" game.

 

[AFDoc]

I don't like the idea of offering refunds. I look at this as a valuable lesson for parents and one where they are paying Apple for that parental guidance. The parents are the ones who screwed up in these situations, and they deserve to take the financial hit. Apple and the developers who work tirelessly deserve to get paid.

Sorry but what part of apple's deceptive practices is confusing to you? How is the consumer to know that after putting in the password a 15min window is opened where anything could be done NOT needing the password? This was not told to consumers, there was no warning so there was no way to know UNLESS you went into the settings and changed them to close that window. One might also ask why a developer would put the option to purchase $99 worth of X product on their app aimed at children. Is this so there might be a mistaken purchase that they can gain $ from? I suspect that is the case.

There seems to be a lot of bashing of parents on here, I can only assume by non-parents.....Being the perfect parent is easy until you actually become a parent.

Love your last statement and I'm going to steal/use it... thanks.

 

[charlituna]

Game makers counted on the fact that they could wait a few minutes, until the parent thought everything was okay and had stopped watching, .

The parents stopped watching. You give a $500 piece of kit to a four year old, anyone with sense doesn't stop watching. And anyone with sense has spent more than two minutes checking out anything they download tapping etc everything in site

But of course you being the big legal expert since there was a suit filed and Apple settled, the blame must be all theirs. Cause that's how it works. No one who was innocent would settle a case now would they

 

[Phantom Gremlin]

Seriously. What did you expect? Did you expect a feature that allows "remember the password for 15 minutes, unless it's my kids doing the purchase"?

Huh? Did you read what I wrote? I was complaining about updating apps, not about in-app purchases. It's all controlled by a single setting.

When it's time to update apps, the iPhone has a field that says "Update All". I repeat, it says Update All.

So, when I select that option, I expect to get prompted once for a password. I don't expect to get prompted five or ten times. That repeated prompting is one of the stupidest human interface decisions I've seen in a long long time. I dunno. Maybe Apple has fixed this already. It just seems inconceivable that this is expected behavior.

 

[haruhiko]

Huh? Did you read what I wrote? I was complaining about updating apps, not about in-app purchases. It's all controlled by a single setting.

When it's time to update apps, the iPhone has a field that says "Update All". I repeat, it says Update All.

So, when I select that option, I expect to get prompted once for a password. I don't expect to get prompted five or ten times. That repeated prompting is one of the stupidest human interface decisions I've seen in a long long time. I dunno. Maybe Apple has fixed this already. It just seems inconceivable that this is expected behavior.

I think you may not have used an iPhone with an updated iOS for a long time?

 

[C DM]

Huh? Did you read what I wrote? I was complaining about updating apps, not about in-app purchases. It's all controlled by a single setting.

When it's time to update apps, the iPhone has a field that says "Update All". I repeat, it says Update All.

So, when I select that option, I expect to get prompted once for a password. I don't expect to get prompted five or ten times. That repeated prompting is one of the stupidest human interface decisions I've seen in a long long time. I dunno. Maybe Apple has fixed this already. It just seems inconceivable that this is expected behavior.

App updates haven't even required a single password (let alone multiple ones) for some time now.

 

[haruhiko]

App updates haven't even required a single password (let alone multiple ones) for some time now.

As I remember at least since iOS 6.

 

[kdarling]

The parents stopped watching. You give a $500 piece of kit to a four year old, anyone with sense doesn't stop watching. And anyone with sense has spent more than two minutes checking out anything they download tapping etc everything in site

This is why non-parents should not be in this conversation at all. You're just smug, with no idea what you're talking about. We understand. We were all like that at one time

However, this kind of buying could've happened with adults as well. You could've just as easily handed your iPad to anyone after downloading a game, without realizing they could continue to buy more stuff without your permission.

As for handing an iPad to a child, even Apple shows images of that on their website, along with kids playing together by themselves.

But of course you being the big legal expert since there was a suit filed and Apple settled, the blame must be all theirs. Cause that's how it works. No one who was innocent would settle a case now would they

I think Apple responded pretty well to their design mistake.

Apple knew pretty quickly that having a hidden and unexpected password-not-needed timeout, as the default, was a bad design decision, and could lead to minors and others buying things without the permission of the device owner.

That's why Apple was giving out refunds even before the FTC got involved, and had already changed the default mode.

Unlike some of the more rabid fans, Apple never blamed the users. They knew it was their own design mistake.

 

[Tech198]

The email is a joke....

Even Apple doesn't have any thought process.

It makes me mad to say a company us doing well and "thinks" that because we have out in safe guards, but only if people with to use them,. Then Apple turns and says's "we're sorry, it doesn't matter what controls we have, you minors get an exception"

We're all the same u nit-wit.

Seriously, Apple needs a good kick up the behind, and maybe they should just take down their TOS for the Store, because they do what they please,

I don't mind if App,e dies favours and bends-over backwards for customers, but they are obviously favouring minnows only, then let it be heard now, if you make any purchase you can get your money back. Guaranteed


I've done it more than once myself..... Just as long the story is believable, they'll do it. It's in App,e's best "interest" lol...

 

[JAT]

They had to submit information to the class action website.

Those e-mails went out to people who have at one point complained to Apple about IAP.

That's not entirely true. I have done neither of those actions and I just got this email today.

As for this thread, it's pretty sad that so little reality has been demonstrated by the posters.

 

[Jessica Lares]

That's not entirely true. I have done neither of those actions and I just got this email today.

As for this thread, it's pretty sad that so little reality has been demonstrated by the posters.

Yeah, I just got another e-mail too.

And oh yeah, I bet a lot of these people will think a little different in five to ten years time. Don't let it bother you and carry on doing whatever you're doing. Screw the judgmental people on the internet, they're just talking to talk.

 

[JAT]

Yeah, I just got another e-mail too.

And oh yeah, I bet a lot of these people will think a little different in five to ten years time. Don't let it bother you and carry on doing whatever you're doing. Screw the judgmental people on the internet, they're just talking to talk.

I was actually talking about both "sides" to the inherent argument being unrealistic. But, yeah, good advice.