Apple To Revise In-App Purchases After FTC Settlement

Apple Forced To Change 'In-App' Policy And Refund Millions To Parents

Apple has settled a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission over in-app purchases made by young children without the consent of their parents.

The company will refund $32.5 million to customers who claim children made the in-app purchases without their consent.

It will also change its billing procedures, which until now have allowed for 15 minutes of password-free purchases after each initial entry.

"The consent decree the FTC proposed does not require us to do anything we weren't already going to do, so we decided to accept it rather that take on a long and distracting legal fight."

The FTC said it had received "thousands" of complaints about unauthorised in-app purchases and that the decision was a victory for customers.

"This settlement is a victory for consumers harmed by Apple's unfair billing, and a signal to the business community: whether you're doing business in the mobile arena or the mall down the street, fundamental consumer protections apply," said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez.

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