Due to a large number of complaints, the European Union has issued a new directive regarding in-app purchases in mobile games.
The European Commission, the 28-nation bloc's executive body, is primarily targeting Apple and Google, ordering both companies to institute changes to prevent children from running up huge bills while playing games on phones and tablets.
"This is the very first enforcement action of its kind in which the European Commission and national authorities joined forces... This is significant for consumers. In particular, children must be better protected when playing online." EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy Neven Mimica said in a press release.
The agency revealed that it asked Google and Apple to provide solutions on four issues regarding mobile games:
- Honest labeling of games. Apps that are advertised as free should not "mislead" consumers over the cost of usage.
- Apps should not have "direct exhortations" that urge children to buy items within a game or persuade adults to make in-app purchases for their kids.
- Adequate information should be provided to users regarding the payment process. The European Commission wants to do away with the practice of automatic debiting without the explicit consent of customers.
- An email address should be provided by app makers so that customers can quickly submit complaints.
The enforcement action has gained contrasting responses from the two companies. Google has yielded to the directive and will soon be implementing changes to its Google Play Store. The biggest change that the company has agreed to is the reclassification of apps that are free to download but are not free to use. Google said that software with in-app purchases will no longer be classified as free. The company has also sent new guidelines to developers to ban ads that target children and set default settings that require authorization before in-app purchases. According to the European Commission, Google is already implementing the changes and is expected to finish by the end of September.
Apple on the other hand, is not giving in to the organization's enforcement action. The company has yet to offer "concrete and immediate" solutions and has only given a vague reassurance that it will address the concerns.
While the European Commission itself cannot compel Apple to follow its recommendations, there are consequences to not falling in line. The agency warned that the directive may be enforced through legal action by national authorities. This means that Apple may be sued by member countries of the EU if it refuses to change its policies on in-app purchases.
