Apple rats on Google to FTC: You thought WE were in-app-ropriate? Apple turned in Google to the Federal Trade Commission for the same in-app purchase issues for which the iPhone-maker itself had been criticised, according to a report in Politico. Earlier this year, the FTC started cracking down on iPhone and iPad apps that allowed kids to spend their parents’ hard-earned dosh without their …
You only need one spoiled brat in a school who has parents willing to pay for the extra lives, decorations, credits etc and boom, all the other kids need to keep up. More skint parents, more rich companies who make more money from giving away 'free' apps than they do selling them.
You don't have that option with Amazon, they've already got your card details. You can put a password/PIN on in-app purchases but not on app store purchases and you can't sign out from the app store either.
A point in their favour is they do send an e-mail immediately on purchasing or downloading a free app so you know exactly what apps are being bought or used by your little darlings.
Here's a thought.... Change the bloody password(s) to the account, and DON'T FECKKING GIVEN 'EM OUT! Lil' Johny, and Mary Sue Who... Want to shop on Amazons poor arsed excuse of an App Store.... (Well the German One anyway!). And should they ever wish to then they can purchase their own pre-pay "Credit" with their allowance as such they may earn.... This might even give them an early real-world experience of the value of money... Such as what of it remains... But, thats another argument.
Same for Google Play, and Apples iTunes.... Really WTF is the problem here. I suppose these are the same Parents that "trust" their sweet little angels aren't surfing RedTube behind their backs either.... And think somehow its someone else's fault.... WHEN THEY DO!
My guess is that, Cr-apple are just being a dick right now 'cause China recently pissed in their bowl of Siri-flakes, and have to find something else to kick. 'cause its hard to find yourself in the receiving side of an IP suit... GO CHINA!!!
Amazon's unreasonable demand for registering a credit card when you sign up is the exact reason that I will not use their app store, or even buy a tablet which isn't Google Play certified. The only exception was my Polaroid PTAB-8000, and that was immediately rooted and the play store installed anyways.
Now that I'm in the market for a new tablet (the Polaroid tab turned out to be a p.o.s.), I'm being very careful to make sure that I go with one which allows you to use vouchers instead of requiring a free pass to my wallet. I really can't see why anyone would permanently store their payment details on a device that can easily be lost/stolen anyways.
"A point in their favour is they do send an e-mail immediately on purchasing or downloading a free app so you know exactly what apps are being bought or used by your little darlings."
........that our "little darlings" would ever have been in a position to buy anything at all with my (or my good lady's) hard earned without having to ask us first brings us both out in hives. We would have under no circumstances ever have given them that kind of access. Some parents, in our not so humble opinion make a gigantic rod for their own backs.
They really should give the option to make it ask for a password/PIN before all purchases. On Android you can hide the Amazon App store in the launcher (if it has that option) or set up another profile but I have no idea if the Kindles allow this though.
Android is better than IOS in this regard, because you can just create a profile for your little angel, and not include access to the store in the profile. Add the app in your account, grant access to it in the profile and log out. Now they can use the app, but in app purchases won't work.
That anyone had to tell the FTC about this. Google isn't exactly a small company, and they'd been investigating Apple for the same issue. Didn't they consider maybe checking the competition, especially the one competitor that sells more units than Apple does?
No wonder companies get away with so much!
It's pretty sad that you think that the FTC didn't know about Google.
Didn't you consider that maybe the information about the Apple lawyers e-mail makes for a nice juicy headline, even if the FTC were already investigating Google.
No wonder journalists get away with so much, when readers lap this stuff up!
It seems most people don't grasp that the lawsuits are about the way in app purchases used to be handled a couple of years ago. And it is not about the stupid parents who told their kids passwords or such. It is about parents who downloaded a game for their kids, had to enter a password (even though the game is free), and assumed that the device would ask for a password again for the next purchase. I think this is a fully legit assumption. All the manufacturers have changed the way it works, and so claiming that Android is better than iOS because it does not allow you to do this in the current version is just total crap. Apple pointing out Google to the FTC is a bit like being pulled over by a cop and saying yes I was going too fast, but look at this guy he is going twice as fast...
a colleague's "little darling" bought himself for Christmas, two ipad mini's, one mac book pro, one iphone6 on his amazon account that was only setup for his kindle. he was only discovered because unbeknown to him, his email address as an auto forward to his dad's account.
his dad started getting repeated "thank you for your purchase", "your order has been dispatched" etc. emails. panic ensued, phone calls made, swearing, stern words to offspring. admonishing phone call from wife.
much hilarity around the office.
not bad for buying your kid a cheapo ebook reader.
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