In-app purchases guide goes live on App Store

Apple has released a new in-app purchases guide on the front page of the App Store on iPad as it pro-actively tackles the government’s investigation into the business model.

The guide for the App Store’s most widely used revenue-generating scheme explains what In-App Purchases are, their types and how they work.

It also details the 15-minute period in which extra IAPs can be made without needing to re-enter a password, and how parental control settings can be changed to completely disable in-app purchases or at least require a password for each transaction.

The free-to-use guide is likely in response to the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation into the use of IAPs in children’s apps.

Earlier this month the OFT, which enforces consumer protection and competition law as well as monitoring business practice, expressed concern over what it deemed could be ‘unfair’ practices employed to encourage children to spend parents’ money through IAPs.

The investigation will specifically focus on whether “misleading, commercially aggressive or otherwise unfair” practices are to be found in such games, and has launched a survey for parents on the matter.