Feature

Mobile Pie's Will Luton on why Apple should eliminate the 15 minute IAP window

Despite iOS 4.3 tweak, situation still too confusing

Mobile Pie's Will Luton on why Apple should eliminate the 15 minute IAP window
This is the first in a regular column from Will Luton, creative director at the award-winning boutique studio Mobile Pie. 

Back in November - as we at Mobile Pie were springing our first free-to-play title My Star on the world -  Capcom Mobile kicked up a whole load of controversy with its Smurfs’ Village game.

Angry parents had commented on a news post that the title was out-grossing Angry Birds, calling foul play and relaying stories of children making in-app purchases (IAPs) totaling hundreds of pounds without parental permission or the need for a password.

Public concern

Where angry parents are found so are headlines, with The Daily Mail and the BBC’s Watchdog running the story over the following days. To their credit, the coverage was reasonably balanced, focusing on the App Store's (then) 15 minute download window. In this period, further purchases could be made without the user having to re-enter their iTunes account password.

An Apple spokeswoman suggested the system was ‘adequate’; a seemingly valid point considering a parent is able to restrict IAPs completely. But it's a lengthy 16 tap process, hidden in the depths of the Settings menu. The average user will be - as was I - completely oblivious to it.

The fall out continued, with some parents levelling the blame directly at developers. I don’t believe Capcom, or anyone else in the industry, wishes to trick children into abusing their parents’ credit cards. Even laying aside that it is morally wrong, this method of acquiring revenue is simply unsustainable. As an industry we need to react responsibly and fairly.

Doing the right thing

To understand the situation better, I emailed Mike Rawlinson of UK trade body UKIE. I wanted to know what it was doing to educate parents.

“Parents need to be aware of this, and need to be aware of how to monitor and oversee their child's activity,” he said. Despite covering Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, he was aware UKIE’s site was missing mobile guidance, so I wrote up a guide for iOS, which Mike has promptly added.

You can read it here.

The general concern of industry and consumers to this issue also had an impact as Apple responded in the newly released iOS 4.3.

Now the login window is separated for an app install and an IAP. A parent logging in to download a free app will have to re-enter their password to make the first IAP. However, after this, the 15 minute window still applies, reducing the likelihood of accidental payments, but not eliminating it. 

Is this enough?

I applaud Apple for a great step forward, but personally would like to see the IAP window completely closed - it’s too great a risk to consumers for the benefits it provides.

Moreover, at the time of writing, there was no 4.3 update available for my second generation iPod touch, the first generation iPod touch and iPhone, as well as the 3G iPhone, leaving the IAP window intact for many millions.

Partial fixes on some devices will make understanding the IAP window even more confusing for parents.

Of course, many of the issues around IAPs are externalised and beyond developers' control, despite us receiving much of the flack. Yet this doesn't mean we are absolved of all responsibility. Being aware of the issue I believe we should take steps to protect our customers.

In the case of My Star we’ve included a new line in the App Store description:

"Parents and guardians: This game is free to play but allows for in-app purchases. To learn how to restrict these to avoid accidental billing by your child please visit http://www.ukie.info/playsafe/parental-controls/"

We’ll also be looking at other measures we can implement in future app updates which protect our customers.

Free-to-play with in-app purchases is the future of the games industry and we need to make sure the game playing public, including parents, are fairly treated.



Based in the heart of Bristol, UK, Mobile Pie creates delicious own IP and works its magic on tasty licenses, with a client and partner list that includes the BBC, Orange and Hewlett-Packard. It has recently released the free-to-play social location title My Star for iOS.
You can see what it gets up to via its website

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