Tuesday, July 22
Google will no longer label apps that include in-app purchases as “free” on the Google Play store, in an effort to prevent users from unknowingly racking up costly bills.
Earlier this month, free-to-play games are labelled as 'FREE'.
Today, these titles no longer have a price listed.
The move comes in response to meetings with the European Commission, which raised concerns about how tech companies like Google and Apple handle in-app purchases. The commission was particularly concerned about incidents where children racked up huge bills on their parents’ accounts.
“This is the very first enforcement action of its kind in which the European Commission and national authorities joined forces,” read a statement from the European Commission. “This is significant for consumers. In particular, children must be better protected when playing online.”
Google has also agreed to set guidelines that discourage developers from marketing to kids.
In January, Apple agreed to refund US$32.5 million in in-app purchases to unsuspecting parents whose children racked up hundreds of dollars in charges from playing games.
Google was also hit with a class-action lawsuit earlier this year from parents of children who made unauthorized purchases in apps.
#Tags : #Google #Apps #Play #Store #Free #labelled
