The Apple company promises to compensate those parents whose children made in-game purchases without permission. $100 million has already been allocated for this.
The topic itself is not new. It emerged simultaneously with the widespread introduction of IAP into mobile applications. The bottom line is that parents download F2P games to their children, and then leave them alone with the devices. This often leads to, let’s say, overspending of the family budget.
In the case of Apple, parents were unhappy that children could make purchases without entering a password within the first 15 minutes after downloading the app. During the consideration of the class action, the American court recognized that by calling these applications free, Apple violated consumer protection legislation.
It is clear that Tim Cook’s company wants to avoid huge payments, so this week Apple submitted a document to the appropriate authorities, in which it offers a scheme for resolving the dispute in a pre-trial order. According to this proposal, if the children spent a small amount, the applicants will be offered a loan in the App Store for $ 5, if the amount of purchases exceeds $ 5, it will be refunded in full. Well, if the children bought virtual “buns” in the amount of more than $ 30, then the parents will be entitled to compensation in cash. But they will have to provide evidence that the IAPs were made by minors who did not have information about the passwords of the accounts in the store. These payments will be made only in the United States. However, only if the court approves this proposal.
Photo: Guardian