Don’t they usually say “in-app purchases” when you download them? Also, at least in the one’s I’ve played, you’re not required to, they’re optional and they just help you move along faster. Remember, you got the game for free so it’s not really fair to compare (as Grude was) to a regular video game that you purchased for thirty or forty or fifty dollars and ‘own’.
I dunno, I can see either side of this one. On the one hand, I can understand that parents don’t realize what happens when they give their kids their password and they rack up charges, but like I said before, when an adult racks up hundreds of dollars because they just weren’t paying attention…tough.
But if it bothers people that much, don’t download free games, just download the games that cost money and don’t have/require in-app purchases. Or at least just play the ones that are free, not freemium. They might not be as fun, they probably aren’t multiplayer, but you’re asking someone to design a game and let you play it and you don’t want to pay them for that. The games are out there, my kid plays them on her tablet (and hasn’t charged a nickel to my account yet) it’s just a matter of finding one that appeals to you (and that doesn’t have too many ads in it).
You might need to enter a credit card to set up the account ( I don’t remember) but after that, you can delete the credit card. My account currently has no payment method associated with it- if I want to buy something , I can’t do so by signing in with my Apple ID and password. I have to go into the account and add a payment method.
I recently bought an Android tablet for a relative purely to use for playing simple solitaire games.
I went to Google Play, created an account, etc. Fortunately, GP doesn’t require a credit card but it sure nags for one.
The GP store is an absolute nightmare of a mess. Most of the in-app purchase games do not state such in the description. Nor do most of the ad supported ones.
You have to read the reviews. The problem is that the reviews are incredibly poorly organized. I want to read the most recent one star reviews. Those will quickly tell me what the problem is if there is one. It’s easier to check out the same app on Amazon, if it’s listed and people have bothered to review it there.
I have no idea why Google (or Amazon) would allow apps to be listed as free without also listing limits/ads, etc.
Also, almost all of these apps require access to your contact list and huge amount of other stuff they have no business touching. Again, something that should be displayed front and center but isn’t. And opting out of such access should be part of the install process by default. (No need to run an access control app on the side.)
As to expecting to find to truly free games? Sure, why not. People write and make available free software all the time. E.g., there is OpenSudoku which is free and open source. You can even download packs of more games as well as generate your own.
Of course, this means that the scammers take OpenSudoku, make a few minor changes, add banner ads or charge money, list it on Google Play. Of course Google abets these jerks by listing their “free” games higher than the actual free one.
Google, Apple and Microsoft’s app stores are a hellhole of scammery. And they don’t care in the least as long as the money comes in.
I’m pretty sure the default is to require a password with every purchase. At some point you probably changed the default. I have to input a password each time and no one else uses my account.
Don’t you guys have iTunes gift cards down there? I don’t have kids or anyone else (besides me) that would be naughty but I know I have poor self-discipline. I don’t have a credit card recorded with iTunes. Whenever temptation overcomes me I go out and buy myself an iTunes gift card and add it to my account. That is sufficiently inconvenient (I actually have to leave my apartment!) that it cuts down on wasting money. When my account is depleted in-app and ordinary game purchases just don’t work. Why can’t those of you with naughty kids do the same? Even with the password they can’t go over whatever you have in your account.
Back when this happened, it bypassed the password input if it had been “recently” entered, as a “convenience.” Where “recently” was defined as some absurd length of time, like a half-hour or more.
This is the same business model that a lot of on-line dating sites use.
You get free or very inexpensive membership. But. The services are so restricted, it’s nigh useless. All you really get is a view of all the other profiles there, but limited or no way to interact with them. Then you learn that you have to pay extra for that.
Fwiw, Google recently lost a lawsuit and is now refunding in-app purchases if they were made without your consent by a minor. You should get an email if you have any potentially qualifying purchases. Your can also go to your account page a check. I discovered a couple I was not aware of and already received my refund.
Yeah, reading this I thought “I’m pretty sure i’ve never bothered associating a credit card with my Itunes Account, i just buy the occasional voucher”. So i went and checked, yep “No credit card on file” there in the account section.
Apple has a preference option in Settings that will disallow in-app purchases.
I don’t have kids using my devices, but I still turn that on just to prevent any accidental purchases by clicking the wrong button. If I want to make an in-app purchase, I turn off the preference, make the purchase and then turn it back on.
Any parent who doesn’t do that is insane.
Also, any parent who allows kids to download apps without approval is insane.
Might as well hand the kid your checkbook, an Uzi and a Playboy. What could possibly go wrong?
(As far as the developers go: Yeah, I consider it unethical, but if I was a parent, I would also make it a teachable moment on the value of patience and restraint. Do you want one Smurfberry now, or three pizza dinners later? If kids aren’t learning that lesson early, they’re screwed anyway. When they turn 18, the credit card offers start rolling in.)