back to article Be real, Apple: In-app goodie grab games AREN'T FREE – EU

Apple’s "free" apps are "free" no more, thanks to the EU. Instead of clicking a button labelled with the word, fanbois must now select a button marked “get”. The move appears to be in response to warnings from the European Commission that the “free” label is misleading when games contain in-app purchases and could lead to …

  1. Ted Treen
    Trollface

    Jeez...

    Google agreed to stop using the word "Free", closely followed by Apple, yet the header screams at Apple, in line with the article itself.

    Has El Reg blamed Apple for Ebola yet?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Meh

      Re: Jeez...

      Google did it some time ago.

      1. Michael Habel

        Re: Jeez...

        Funny that you mentioned that I think I've only noticed it on the German Play Store, a few days ago, with the most current update. Not counting for a global rollout. But, I thought something was missing there.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Linux

      Re: Jeez...

      @Ted - don't be silly. We all know that Ebola was caused by systemd.

  2. RyokuMas
    Pirate

    "Google immediately volunteered to stop using the word "free" when games contain in-app purchases"

    ... and watch the Android piracy rate leap ever higher...

    1. killakrust
      Trollface

      Keh...?

      Your comment makes absolutely no cents! Geddit!

  3. returnmyjedi

    Gets

    "Get"? As in "can I get a coffee?"

    How appropriate that Apple choose to use a word so linked with an abomination of the English language that is so frequently ejaculated in Starbucks, the den of the discerning fanboi.

    Bunch of gets the lot of them.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It should of course be:

      "Can I have...?"

      "Could you get for me...?"

      I agree with you regarding the Starbucks example, but in the context of the Apple Store download I'd understand the button label to mean 'the website code gets it for me from a repository' so I wouldn't automatically see it as wrong?

      Of course all of this pales compared against the recent decimation of the word "again", to be replaced by the hateful "re-" at every opportunity!

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: It should of course be:

        "Of course all of this pales compared against the recent decimation of the word "again", to be replaced by the hateful "re-" at every opportunity!"

        Are you saying "re-" is used in the place of "again" every tenth time? Or is it re-decimated multiple times to increase the affect? You could of fooled me.

        1. VinceH

          Re: It should of course be:

          "increase the affect effect."

          "You could of have fooled me."

          Ahem.

          1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

            Re: It should of course be:

            "Ahem."

            (Note to self: Alway, always, ALWAYS use the joke icon when making a sarky joke)

      2. tin 2

        Re: It should of course be:

        re-get-iality!

      3. P. Lee

        Re: It should of course be:

        >"Can I have...?"

        "May I have...?"

  4. Mage Silver badge

    See ...

    Take note UKIP, the EU cares about the Children.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Flame

      Re: See ...

      I think UKIP are simply a shell organisation for the more far right of the Tories. Get out of Europe then we can scrap all the laws designed to protect the little man from global.corp.

      1. Rabbit80

        Re: See ...

        "I think UKIP are simply a shell organisation for the more far right of the Tories. Get out of Europe then we can scrap all the laws designed to protect the little man from global.corp."

        And you would be not too far off the mark:

        anotherangryvoice.blogspot.com

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: See ...

          I think I've figured out Milliband's problem from the picture of all of the party leaders on that blog. Not only does no one in their right mind believe him about anything, he looks like a character Jim Henson would have created.

      2. returnmyjedi

        Re: See ...

        There is a touch of the Tea Party about them, that's for sure.

        1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
          Coat

          Re: See ...

          There is a touch of the Tea Party about them

          Yes, but probably Earl Grey

      3. P. Lee

        Re: See ...

        The question is, why are we relying on Europe to protect the little man from Global Corp? Far better to organise politically locally and get the local laws changed. The EU may have some good laws but it is far less controllable by us. If we don't like something then we'd have to persuade the Germans and French that its a bad idea too. If you can't be bothered with UK politics, there's no reason to think you'll be bothered to act on European-level politics as that goes sour.

        I'd hazard a guess that UKIP don't want out of Europe, but they do want to be out of the quest for "ever closer [political] union" because it undermines the value of UK politics. Its a bit like asking Westminster to take more powers off County and Borough councils because you don't like some of the local by-laws. Its a bad idea. You may get rid of a couple of things you don't like, but you're just giving away self-determination in return for a few legal baubles.

        If you want to change things, get out there and organise. Don't think that being part of a larger voting area is going to make politicians more responsive to you - the truth is quite the opposite.

  5. Mage Silver badge
    Pirate

    Pirate copies?

    Well, yes, they come with bundled Free extras:

    El Reg Reports on Doctored Apps

    No, these are not ones "snipped" so they don't breed.

  6. Colin Wilson 2
    Headmaster

    Bastards!

    Get (n) A child born out of wedlock

    Get (n) A foolish or contemptible person

    They're calling us bastards now!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    God-damn interfering EU! Oh no hang on a second, this is good.

  8. TheWeddingPhotographer

    Credit card upfront

    What would be more honest, and stop 99.99% of the kiddies getting caught, is to say:

    "This game is free to download, but we require to verify your credit details card upfront for in-app purchases."

    However, when an in-app purchase is then made, a credit card is required again at the point of purchasing.

    This would let mum's and dad's know what's what in advance of installing the game, and then let them agree to each in-app purchase, (f they were foolish enough to install it).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Credit card upfront

      They already offer the ability to completely disable in app purchases, or allow them but have a timeout where the password is required again.

      So I fail to see what the point of this measure would be. If you require the password for every purchase, mom & dad will either be inputting that, or inputting credit card details. If I had a kid using in app purchases, I'd just get them an iTunes gift card and let them go crazy. Best way to teach kids about saving/managing money is to give them some, then have a "teachable moment" when they've run out of money and wish they still had it for something else they want more.

      The next gift card they get, you remind them what happened last time, and hopefully they learn. If they don't, they're probably going to grow up to be one of those people who always carries a big credit card balance...

    2. John Tserkezis

      Re: Credit card upfront

      "What would be more honest, and stop 99.99% of the kiddies getting caught, is to say"

      The kiddies aren't the one's getting caught. It's the parents.

      In the event the parents willingly give their credit card to their children, then they deserve what they get.

      Additional checks do not protect they children, legally, they're not liable, even if said children steal said credit card, the card company still comes after the parent card owner.

  9. Chad H.

    I thought Free+ was clear enough, I guess not.

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      What the fuck does Free+ mean?

      It should mean, not only is this free, it's also brilliant. What it actually means in many cases is free to download but not free to actually play. Even in newspeak + is supposed to be a good thing.

      Perhaps Apple should have gone for Free!!

  10. Mike Moyle
    Coat

    So-o-o-o-o-o-o...

    Does this only apply to software downloads, or does the EU ban include, say "free" events that have concession stands selling food and tchotchkes...? ..."free" schools that have PAYG lunch facilities...? Do politicians have to stop referring to "free" elections...?

    1. Tom 35

      Re: So-o-o-o-o-o-o...

      Don't forget the ever popular buy two, get one free type thing. Sounds so much better then buy 3 get 33% off.

      The best name for most of them is pay-to-win.

    2. Pseu Donyme

      Re: So-o-o-o-o-o-o...

      And how about the much touted "free market(s)"? Hardly free at all in the sense at issue here.

  11. Captain DaFt

    "Pay as you play" would be more accurate, wouldn't it?

    "Get" just hides the fact that playing will cost money unless you want to endure timeouts or be locked from certain achievements.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Get it?

    Well I don't.

    By itself, it sounds like a commanding order.

    A bit like 'Fetch'

  13. Kay Burley ate my hamster

    Should it not say?

    WARNING

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Should it not say?

      No, it should say "Show us your credit card, BITCH!"

      1. Michael Habel

        Re: Should it not say?

        No, it should say "Show us your credit card, BITCH!"

        No I think that's Farmville your thinking of, that or some other Facebook Game...

    2. Shady

      Re: Should it not say?

      I'd go with "You've paid hundreds over the odds for a bit of bling. Don't quibble over a few quid now, you tight bastard" - but it doesn't quite fit on the button.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    IT'S F, F, F, FANTSTIC...

    ...I wonder if South Park had anything to do with this?

  15. chris lively

    TANSTAAFL

    If you don't know what that means then you'll always be taken advantage of.

    1. VinceH
      Joke

      Re: TANSTAAFL

      It's not a small town in Holland, then?

      1. The First Dave

        Re: TANSTAAFL

        Yes, it is a village in the Netherlands - the OP clearly meant TINSTAAFL

        1. Spleen

          Re: TANSTAAFL

          No, TANSTAAFL - "Ain't No Such Thing" is correct. "Isn't No Such Thing" is ridiculous. If you are going to be grammatically correct you have to do it all the way, and it should be TIASTAAFL.

          1. Matt Devney
            Happy

            Re: TANSTAAFL

            TINSTAAFL = "There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

            You don't have to replace "Ain't" with "Isn't" unless you wish to appear ridiculous :-)

            And as far as grammar goes, I'm interested in what you think TIASTAAFL is an acronym for.

  16. Semaj

    UI

    I always thought having to press the word "Free" was weird anyway. It took me a few seconds to actually figure out that was a button at all and not just a label when I first looked at the store.

    But I guess it's offensive to have buttons that look like buttons...

  17. messele

    Huh?

    "Free" apps are absolutely "Free" and we should not need a bunch of Bureaucrats to muddy the situation for the simple reason that citizens cannot exercise a bit of self control, or in the case of parents, bother themselves to set up a few basic controls for in-app purchases.

    If something is acquired that did not cost money or does not require money to be spent in order to function then it is free. Simple as.

    Changing a word to an ambiguous, far more confusing word, only serves to give people the false impression that the situation has been fixed and they have no responsibility themselves when all this has done is make EVERYBODY potentially confused as to whether "Get" means it will cost money by taping that icon or not.

    1. Tom 35

      Re: Huh?

      If you get killed in 5 minutes by players who bought upgrades, and you want to play the game then it's not free.

      If you get 20 levels in and get to a level where you can't get past it without paying for an upgrade it's not free.

      They are pay2win games.

      If the game costs nothing to install, and has no option to pay money for add-ons, then it's free.

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