iTunes App Store Now Labels Apps With In-App Purchases

Apple recently released iOS 7.1.1 and with update, not only did Apple address certain bugs and problems, like with Touch ID, but they have also made some changes to the iTunes App Store. Now apps that are listed with in-app purchases are clearly marked as having in-app purchases, which will hopefully help reduce the amount of headaches parents will encounter when their kids accidentally rack up a huge credit card bill on in-app purchases.

By clearly labeling which apps have in-app purchases, customers will be more educated. In the past we have seen how kids have unknowingly spent thousands of dollars in in-app purchases because they thought they were free. Parents also probably did not know about said in-app purchases as they weren’t clearly labeled in the app store.

Apple has since tried to curb this by warning users before making purchases, and they have also refunded customers who might have been affected by these accidental purchases. However we should note that this particular feature only appears in the Top Charts section of the iTunes App Store, meaning if you were browse the store regularly, apps will not be labeled, although we don’t see why Apple won’t roll out the feature to the entire store eventually.

What do you guys think of this new addition? Will it help to curb accidental in-app purchases, or do you think it could create a misconception which could turn users away from apps that have in-app purchases?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple
Tags: Apps, iOS