Here’s why nothing is
‘Free’ in the
Apple App Store anymore
Apple App Store anymore
Earlier this year, Google stopped using the word “Free” in the
Play store for an app that includes in-app purchases, following a
request from the European Commission (EC). Now, Apple follows suit.
iOS device users will
now notice that apps that once mentioned ‘FREE’ are now replaced with ‘GET’.
You will now have to hit the ‘Get’ button to download the app.
‘Free’ replaced with
‘Get’ button
According to the
European Commission (EC), it is misleading to term an app free which needs
purchases. This sometimes leads to accidental purchases by kids as parents let
them tinker with the app since it mentions ‘free’. The EC has penned down four
guidelines that game developers as well as app stores must follow.
Firstly, games that are labelled free should not be misleading
and shouldn’t ask for in-app purchases.
EC guidelines also
state that app makers must provide an email address wherein users can send
in their grievances. Lastly, all users should be well informed about
purchasing practices and no purchases should be allowed without explicit consent.
Apple already has some
additional alerts to ensure there are no accidental purchases, but now has
decided to curb the ‘freemium’ term completely. If you remember, last year,
Apple had to shell out $100 million to settle a lawsuit with the
FTC for accidental in-app purchases and downloads by children.
Just like Apple,
Google also faced a similar lawsuit. Ilana Imber-Gluck, mother of a 5-year old son who made in-app
purchases worth $65.95 had sued Google in a northern California court on behalf
of herself and several other parents in a similar situation.
While both companies
haven’t officially mentioned anything, it is quite clear that the new changes have
been implemented following requests from EC. Moroever, it will also avoid
lawsuits in future.