Apple has settled a 2011 lawsuit concerning children who ran up hundreds of dollars of in-app purchases in freemium games. iTunes credits will be given to parents who claim their children made in-app purchases without their permission. There will also be the option of cash refunds for claims over $30.
The proposed settlement comes after parents sued Apple in 2011 upon discovering that their minor children had racked up credit card charges in supposedly free games. The issue was the subject of a Daily Show feature about a father whose kids racked up hundreds of dollars to keep virtual fish alive in a game called “Tap Fish.”
To collect a settlement, users will have to attest that a minor purchased “game currency” and that the user did not provide the minor with the Apple password.
Apple will send email notices to the 23 million iTunes users affected by the settlement. The full settlement document is available on Scribd.
As of iOS 4.3, Apple began requiring passwords for in-app purchases. In the current version of iOS, in-app purchases can now be shut off completely.
