Regulator sniffs around stonking iPhone game bills UK phone regulator PhonePayPlus has launched an investigation after game-playing iPhone users complained about surprise premium rate call charges. Concerns have focused on a free to download, advertising-supported game called BubbleWrap, developed by Orsome New Zealand and available via Apple's App Store. BubbleWrap comes …
"Apples fabled control" has, and cannot have, anything to do with the contents of mobile ads. The issue is with AdMob, who are allowing ads onto their network that not only trick users into dialling premium rate numbers, but that also appear to break their own submission rules.
It would appear that Apple have implemented a function in their API which allows third-party software to connect the user to any phone number wthout intervention. To me, that looks like a gaping security hole.
There is advertising software, built into free games that exploits this. That is their business model, however despicable. The fault lies with the temple of Jobs.
Obviously the people adding these premium numbers to the adware are to blame (they are just trying to screw the public, which is what premium rate numbers are for).
But it sounds like Apple should take some responsibility for this too. it should never have removed the "you're about to make a call" warning from the API. I can see that this box could become annoying (esp. in a game) if you keep accidentally hitting something that would initiate a call though, so apple should really add a setting along the likes of :-
1/ Pop up a box and warn that you're going to make a call
2/ Don't pop up a box - just make the call
3/ Disable the API and prevent any calls at all being made via it
That should keep everyone happy (apart from the advertisers of course because most people would select option 3 of course)
You wrote that the problem arose "following a software update from Apple", now we all known that apple are a pretty arrogant bunch who were unable to secure their web site and had to stop selling itunes gift certificates via their website (should they have asked MS for help?). But calling a serious hole like this new one the result of an 'upgrade' , is like saying added cyanide in a chocolate bar improves the flavour.
Then you can afford to pay the bill when they use/abuse it? "Don't gamble what you can't afford to lose" - or am I being a bit harsh?
Maybe Apple itself should take some responsibility here. The application is bought from Apple so they should know what they're selling and it's capability to rip folks off?
If the user had rented the phone on a credit card would they have any recourse through the relevant consumer credit legislation?
Why the hell would any phone manufacturer REMOVE a warning that some action you were about to take could potentially cost you money?
And then, presumably, NOT TELL ANYONE ? Do they have some kind of revenue share with AdMob? Someone should have a sniff around because if it isn't utter incompetence on apple's behalf then it's conspiracy to defraud.
AdMob obviously have they own issues to sort out too but it looks like the idiocy/fraud begins with the Jobsian High Council.
If you give a phone to a kid, expect them to make calls.
I'd say the simplest fix would be for Apple to reinstate a confirmation option before a call is made - ideally this would highlight the fact that it's a charged 0900 call.
As Apple are probably too high and mighty to do this, it would be polite for AdMob to enforce it in their code.
But the customers complaining is a bit rich - they are not being fooled or tricked in any way, the programs and adverts are performing exactly as specified.
It's mainly the fault of AdMob (it's their software after all) but Apple have opened themselves up to criticism with the silent change in default behaviour.
I presume (I have no evidence to support this) that Apple received a lot of noise saying "it'd be way better if we didn;t have to continually press OK on confirmation dialogs everytime we press a button" so Apple obliged, wanting to improve the user experience.
Trouble is they didn;t think it through - the correct change would be to add a setting (defaulted to checked) that says "ask for confirmation before allowing apps to dial". That way ppl could choose to disabled confirmation dialogs, but everyone else who didn't have a clue would be nicely protected.
Even after over a decade of such problems from various vendors "default to secure" still isn't being widely adopted :( Any number of horrifically insecure "features" in Win and IE were there to make it easier for the user, but they ended up making their experience a pain when they got pwned. Will ppl ever learn?
I have turned off location services in my iPhone settings but there are some apps that seem to want to use them and don't seem to check my default settings. For example Shazam, I mean everytime I start this up to tag some music it insists on asking me if it can make use of location services!
I am not a programmer but I would have thought if your app needed location services then take a look at the default setting, if it's off then it's off. OK if you are a GPS or map program then you are probably going to want to use location services so ask and then set YOUR app as an EXCEPTION to the general settings but if all you do is tell me the title of that song that's playing at the moment WTF do you need my location for?
Of course this is Apple's fault. They changed the default behaviour of the OS API.
Calls to Premium Rate numbers are largely irrelevant. *ALL* calls are charged, even to 0800 "freephone" numbers (except for a few charities from Orange). At least when you phone an 0800 the network tells you it will be charged (or Vodafone does - don't know about the others)
Any action from any application which results in any charge should have some form of confirmation by default (with an option to disable the warning). The only possible exclusion would be applications explicitly designed to make calls since that is the purpose of a telephone.
All this focus on one game developer is unfortunate. I've seen the premium dialler in more than just his game. AdMob is 100% to blame for premium numbers appearing in adverts and should take full responsibility for it.
Being able to set privacy settings on a per-app basis would be the best policy for Apple to take. Apps should have access to nothing unless you specifically enable them to do so, which includes being able to dial.
And that's how RIM does it. each app I install on a BB allows me to modify it's permission. Apps that vary from the default (like Google Maps, which requires access to GPS) require the user to verify the variances, and gives the option to change them to a more restrictive (or looser, if so desired) set of permissions.
This story must all be a lie! Apple have complete control over the iPhone and all the applications written for it and would never allow an application which exhibited this kind of behaviour!
So, as has been asked above, are Apple incompetent or thieves? Either way, they're lying to their customers.
It seems as though <A Href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/09/google_to_buy_admob/">Google</A> needs to get their AdMob money back somehow and after being slighted by Apple for their phone related apps, what better way of recouping your investment that letting other companies do it for you? Pick the most popular game that has AdMob installed, insert premium calling link, PROFIT!
Check the reference document http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/featuredarticles/iPhoneURLScheme_Reference/iPhoneURLScheme_Reference.pdf on page 11 - dated 17th June 2009.
"In a native application, opening a URL with the tel scheme initiates dialing without further prompting from the user."
This is not a recent change, but a documented feature since the middle of 2009!
The blame lies entirely on AdMob, who should have verified the critical changes to the SDK to assess the impact it will have on their product, but instead, appear to have been complacent in a deprecated feature of the iPhone, to display a warning regardless of whether it originates in an app or a web page.
This post has been deleted by its author
i thought most providers in the UK block 09 until you ring them up to allow Prem rate numbers (T-mobile little bad as you remove the 0 for the 09 so that can be exploited), no ads should Ever be allowed by apple to dial an prem rate number bubble app should be banned until they fix that and any app that uses that ad service that bubble app is using
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
