Cupertino to refund parents who didn’t authorize purchases

Jan 16, 2014 12:22 GMT  ·  By

Apple has agreed to pay $32.5 million / €23.9 million in refunds to parents who didn’t authorize in-app purchases made by their kids on iPhones and iPads, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez said during a press conference that Apple didn’t provide parents with a direct reminder that entering their passwords to download apps would also authorize in-app payments.

Many cases of unwanted in-app purchases have been reported over the past year, including cases where kids racked up bills in the thousands of dollars.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said that the company’s agreement with the FTC doesn’t really change anything, as Apple was already running an internal refund program.

“Protecting children has been a top priority for the App Store from the very beginning, and Apple is proud to have set the gold standard for online stores by making the App Store a safe place for customers of all ages,” he said.

“Today's agreement with the FTC extends our existing refund program for in-app purchases which may have been made without a parent's permission,” the spokesman added.