iOS 4.3 Requires Password Reentry for In App Purchases

[fojo]

Simple. There's no notice that pops up saying "Warning, we're not going to ask for your password for another 15 minutes. Don't give this device to anyone else who might buy something with it."

Because we need warnings about everything these days. We need pop ups even less. Learn how to use the software and be accountable.

People who don't spend a lot of time buying apps probably have never noticed or figured out why and when they're asked for their password.

I don't spend a lot of time buying apps, but yet I know how why and when I will be asked for a PW

It has nothing to do with poor parenting. As I pointed out above, lots of big brothers and sisters loan their phones to little brothers, nieces, etc all the time... and have the same problem.

So, maybe this is about education more than parenting. If big brothers, et al. are loaning their phones immediately after making a purchase, maybe they need to realize the implications that their actions may have.


OK, I see that you are taking the "poor end user didn't know that could happen and is now stuck with a $400 bill" approach. My approach is that said user should learn the finer points of online purchasing and realize that, just like if they left their amazon account open on the screen, someone else could potentially make (much bigger) purchases.

I fail to see how this is any different than my kid picking up the phone at home and calling long distance and racking up a huge bill. I wouldn't blame the phone company, right? What about if my kid orders pay-per-view on my TV? Do I call DirectTV to complain?

Apple has gone through enough authorization and validation measures that we do not need any more. What we need is people to be accountable for their actions.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Because we need warnings about everything these days. We need pop ups even less. Learn how to use the software and be accountable.



I don't spend a lot of time buying apps, but yet I know how why and when I will be asked for a PW



So, maybe this is about education more than parenting. If big brothers, et al. are loaning their phones immediately after making a purchase, maybe they need to realize the implications that their actions may have.


OK, I see that you are taking the "poor end user didn't know that could happen and is now stuck with a $400 bill" approach. My approach is that said user should learn the finer points of online purchasing and realize that, just like if they left their amazon account open on the screen, someone else could potentially make (much bigger) purchases.

I fail to see how this is any different than my kid picking up the phone at home and calling long distance and racking up a huge bill. I wouldn't blame the phone company, right? What about if my kid orders pay-per-view on my TV? Do I call DirectTV to complain?

Apple has gone through enough authorization and validation measures that we do not need any more. What we need is people to be accountable for their actions.

The Apple Way is for software to be intuitive and self-explanatory. A UI should be designed so that it doesn't allow the user to unintentionally get into situations where they can mess things up.

If the user intentionally wants to get into situations where things can be messed up, then that is taken as an indication to Apple that either:

a) If there really is a legitimate reason for some users to need to get into that state from time to time, Apple requires the user to make a conscious decision to enter that state, to prevent unintentional users from getting into that state accidentally.

b) If Apple does not intend for a user to ever end up in that state, Apple needs to design the UI so that the user no longer intuitively senses that they would desire to be in that state in the first place.

According to these rules, the original system was broken by default. The fact that some users are complaining about this experience in the first place means that it was non-intuitive, and therefore it should have received further refinement inside Apple's UI design review process before it ever made it into any shipping product. It was an oversight -- a User Experience bug -- which they are now correcting. Since there is a legitimate reason for some users to want to enter into this state (in-app purchasing), they are fixing it by following option (a) -- with a scheme that is safe by default, but not inordinately prohibitive. It is the Apple Way.

 

[Charlie Sheen]

Thas something may people have always hoped for

 

[jjackson83]

The Apple Way is for software to be intuitive and self-explanatory. A UI should be designed so that it doesn't allow the user to unintentionally get into situations where they can mess things up.

If the user intentionally wants to get into situations where things can be messed up, then that is taken as an indication to Apple that either:

a) If there really is a legitimate reason for some users to need to get into that state from time to time, Apple requires the user to make a conscious decision to enter that state, to prevent unintentional users from getting into that state accidentally.

b) If Apple does not intend for a user to ever end up in that state, Apple needs to design the UI so that the user no longer intuitively senses that they would desire to be in that state in the first place.

According to these rules, the original system was broken by default. The fact that some users are complaining about this experience in the first place means that it was non-intuitive, and therefore it should have received further refinement inside Apple's UI design review process before it ever made it into any shipping product. It was an oversight -- a User Experience bug -- which they are now correcting. Since there is a legitimate reason for some users to want to enter into this state (in-app purchasing), they are fixing it by following option (a) -- with a scheme that is safe by default, but not inordinately prohibitive. It is the Apple Way.

I like the explanation -indifferent on the fix