London: Electronic gadget maker Apple has come under criticism from the European Commission for not offering any “concrete and immediate” plans to stop users from being misled by “free” apps.
Many popular apps are free to download, but are designed to tempt users to pay for in-game enhancements, often allowing for quicker progression.
A report by informationweek.com quoted EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy Neven Mimica as saying that EU efforts to stop children from conducting in-app transactions without permission have been going well. “Children must be better protected when playing online,” he said.
The EU Consumer Protection Cooperation have decided that games advertised as “free” should not misrepresent the cost to consumers.
Google has removed the term “free” from Google Play store listings that describe games containing its In-app Billing API, even if that API is not actually used, the website reported.
The EU however singled out Apple for not making a commitment to change, Daily Mail reported.
“Regrettably, no concrete and immediate solutions have been made by Apple to date to address the concerns linked in particular to payment authorisation,” the panel said.
In a statement, Apple said it was doing "more than others" to protect parents. “These controls go far beyond the features of others in the industry,” an Apple spokesman said.
