Games / apps on Google Play with in-app purchases will no longer be called “free”

Many mobile game developers (and not only for them) often call their games “free”, although these are actually “shareware” applications. You can download and install the whole thing without money, yes, but, for example, it is simply impossible to go beyond a certain level without paying for a game accessory / unlock.

Of course, the word “free” attracts users, who then, being carried away by the game, do not mind paying for something. This is especially true for kids who often pay for all of their purchases with their mother's / father's card.
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As already mentioned on Habré, the European Commission demanded that Google and other companies that have application catalogs make in-app purchases as transparent as possible.

Requirements were as follows:

1. Games positioned as “free / free” should not be misleading the user;
2. Games should not contain a call for children to buy any things / buns in the game, or ask adults to buy it for children;
3. Users should receive complete information about the possibilities of purchase, purchases should not be made without the user fully aware of such a purchase (ie, the purchase should not be made "silently, by default");
4. Sellers must provide an e-mail address for contacting the user in case of problem situations.

Google agreed to fulfill some of the conditions, and the implementation of the agreement is already underway (the planned implementation date is September 2014). The agreement with the European Commission includes a commitment from Google to remove the word "free" from all applications where developers have left the possibility of making purchases.

As for Apple, this company also promised to take action on these issues, but no clear dates / wording is provided. The company said that a lot of work is currently underway to implement the Ask to Buy system for iOS8. This system, according to the company's plan, will prevent children from buying any in-game objects on their own. Instead, the purchase request will be forwarded to parents.

In general, it is in the interests of both companies to solve the above problems as quickly as possible, in order to avoid legal and financial problems in the European Union (and not only there). By the way, this year Apple has already agreed to pay $ 32.5 million in compensation to those users who have lost funds due to unscrupulous developers who have not implemented a transparent purchase system in their games / applications.

Via theverge + europa