European Commission chastises Apple over misleading 'free' apps
The European Commission today chastised Apple for failing to clamp down on misleading ‘free’ apps.
Games such as Angry Birds also include in-game purchases
'Free' apps that offer paid in-game paid content were the focus of the investigation.
Apps like Candy Crush, a game where one can purchase extra lives, particularly worried the Comission. Children especially can spend large amounts of money on these apps - sometimes wihout parental permission.
The Commission urged Apple and Google to make clear the “true cost” of these apps, however the Californian giant was singled out for failing to make any "concrete [or] immediate" plans to tackle this.
This followed a large number of complaints about the apps’s misleading nature. As a result, the Commision asked developers to put in place safeguards to protect users from accidental or misinformed game purchases.
In the App Store, there already exists text informing users of “In-App Purchases” but the font is considerably smaller than the “Free” tag.
An Apple spokesman said that its parental controls “go far beyond the features of others in the industry."
“Over the last year we made sure any app which enables customers to make in-app purchases is clearly marked. We’ve also created a kids section on the App Store with even stronger protections to cover apps designed for children younger than 13.”
Apple also said it will create a new email address where law enforcement authorities will be able to contact the company to discuss issues regarding misleading apps.
This comes after Apple was today required to pay $400m in a settlement of e-book price fixing.