Apple adds in-app purchase warnings to App Store listings

Apple has added in-app purchase warnings to App Store listings, following a spate of stories in which children amassed mighty in-app purchase bills for their unwitting parents.

The warning is displayed alongside paid and free apps that contain in-app purchases. It is present on both the desktop and iOS version of the App Store and simply reads: "Offers In-App Purchases."

This change follows hot on the heels of a settlement in the US courts that forced Apple to propose a refund system for in-app purchases. The scheme, if implemented, will compensate the parents of children who make in-app purchases of over $30 without acquiring consent.

The warning doesn't just appear for freemium titles  it's shown beside paid apps too.

The buck stops

Although in-app purchases certainly aren't new, a flurry of mainstream media interest has put pressure on Apple to make changes.

Media reports have uncovered instances in which children racked up bills as high as £1,700 in games that their parents believed were completely free prompting much debate over who should take responsibility for such cases.