Google to stop listing games with in-app purchases as free

By the end of September, Google will no longer list any game on its mobile marketplace as free if it includes in-app purchases.

That’s according to the European Commission, which has today published a set of guidelines that it expects platform holders to adhere to in the future.

The guidelines put forward a list of what the Commission thinks needs to be done in order to tackle the growing problem of people feeling mislead and children inadvertently racking up sizable charges on their parents’ credit cards. Here are the guidelines:

Games advertised as “free” should not mislead consumers about the true costs involved;
Games should not contain direct exhortation to children to buy items in a game or to persuade an adult to buy items for them;
Consumers should be adequately informed about the payment arrangements for purchases and should not be debited through default settings without consumers’ explicit consent;
Traders should provide an email address so that consumers can contact them in case of queries or complaints.

It’s not currently known whether or not Google’s agreement to adhere to the guidelines will only be restricted to Europe, or whether it will roll out the changes globally. Meanwhile, Apple has provided “no concrete and immediate solutions” for how it intends to implement the guidance, something which the Commission notes is “regrettable”. No mention is made of the intentions of other mobile platforms, such as Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.

“This is significant for consumers. In particular, children must be better protected when playing online. The action also provides invaluable experience for the ongoing reflection on how to most effectively organise the enforcement of consumer rights in the Union,” said EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy Neven Mimica in the issued statement. “It has demonstrated that cooperation pays off and helps to improve the protection of consumers in all Member States.”

Enforcement of the new rules will be left down to National authorities, but the Commission will continue to monitor the situation, it says.

What do you think of this latest news? Do you think that it’s a good thing that the practice of in-app purchases are being more heavily regulated, or do you think that the responsibility lies with parents to monitor the access they give their children to mobile devices? Let us know in the comments.

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Dale Morgan

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When Dale isn't crying over his keyboard about his never-ending workload, he's playing games - lots of them. Dale has a particular love for RPGs, Roguelikes and Metroidvanias.