After the European Commission revised guidelines for in-app purchases, Google came up with concrete and immediate solutions while Apple turned a deaf ear.
The European Commission ruled in favor of parents with revised app store guidelines but Apple device users will not be as lucky as Android users. Google has agreed to the guidelines, which will come into effect from September 1 in its app stores but Apple has given no such firm commitment.
In-app purchases have long been a sensitive topic for parents who have been surprised with high credit card bills due to their children's shopping sprees. Several outraged parents logged complaints against mobile OS providers for the way they sell apps in their stores. After reaching a tipping point, the EU asked Apple and Google, the two biggest providers of apps and games in stores, to comply with the revised guidelines .
The commission communicated the new conditions to both Apple and Google in December of last year, after getting an approval from EU's Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC). The proposed changes include games with in-app purchases to lose the "free" label, and also refrain from directly exhorting children to buy in-game items. Apple and Google are also required to inform parents about payment arrangements in detail and avoid debits through default settings without customers' consent. Finally, game developers must provide customers with contact information in case of complaints and queries, the European Commission listed in its press release last Friday.
EU noted that Google announced its compliance with the new changes, which will take effect this September. The web giant has agreed to remove games with in-app purchases from its free list and is said to be working towards applying other changes such as to prevent direct exhortation to children and default authorization on every in-app purchase.
On the other hand, Apple's response towards the new set of guidelines hasn't been convincing, EU said.
"Although, regrettably, no concrete and immediate solutions have been made by Apple to date to address the concerns linked in particular to payment authorization, Apple has proposed to address those concerns," the commission wrote. "However, no firm commitment and no timing have been provided for the implementation of such possible future changes."
The latest change in app store policy comes shortly after Apple was fined $32.5 million by the US Federal Trade Commission to pay 37,000 customers who were forced for pay for virtual items inside games and apps. But an Apple spokesperson told CNET that its iOS parental controls offer better security that others in the industry.
