14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has published the finalized details of the settlement in an iOS in-app purchase class action suit, agreeing to pay millions of dollars in refunds and iTunes credits to claimants.
Filed back in 2011, the suit alleged that Apple’s in-app purchase processing structure did not prevent children from making acquisitions that resulted in their parents' accounts being charged even up to thousands of dollars without their permission.
As part of the settlement, Apple will offer a single $5 iTunes Store credit to claimants, or a credit "equal to the total amount of Game Currency that a minor charged to your iTunes account without your knowledge or permission within a single forty-five day period," the company explains on its website.
Furthermore, as Apple Insider notes, the Cupertino-based company will offer a cash refund to those who no longer have an active iTunes account. Apparently, those users with claims that exceed $30 in total are eligible for a cash refund.
Apparently, all residents in the United States are eligible for an award from the settlement, provided that their iTune accounts have been charged with in-app purchases made by a minor without their knowledge or permission before May 2, 2013.
Those who have such claims should submit them by January 13, 2014. Furthermore, it should be noted that they have until August 30, 2013, to object to or opt out of the settlement.
Providing users with additional means to monetize their applications, in-app purchases has been widely adopted by many, but also increased the number of complaints regarding the ease at which minors could take advantage of them, thus adding significant charges to their parents’ accounts.
Apple already put in place some protection to prevent children from abusing the feature, and also had to modify iTunes Store listings to warn users on which applications came with additional paid content. It increased its efforts to keep parents informed on the matter since then.