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Apple changes in-app purchasing rules in iOS 4.3 after Smurfs' Village debacle

Separate password entries required for in-app purchases

Apple changes in-app purchasing rules in iOS 4.3 after Smurfs' Village debacle
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As Pocket Gamer's sister site PocketGamer.biz exclusively revealed last month, Apple has been privately expressing concern over in-app purchases in freemium games on the App Store - primarily in Capcom's Smurfs' Village, according to rumour, though Capcom denies this.

Now Apple has acted on its concerns with the iOS 4.3 update, which was released on Wednesday. The new version of the operating system alters how in-app purchases are made, meaning that your password is required for your first in-app purchase, even if you had inputted it to download an app minutes before.

Previously iOS versions would save any iTunes passwords for 15 minutes after a purchase - a decision that meant updates to existing apps would only require one security check (good) and that any child given a fresh installation of Smurfs' Village could buy hundreds of dollars of smurfberries unchecked (bad).

Is this change just another layer of needless bureaucracy or do you think it’ll help prevent some of the in-app controversies we’ve seen over the past few months? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments thread below.

Washington Post
Will Wilson
Will Wilson
Will's obsession with gaming started off with sketching Laser Squad levels on pads of paper, but recently grew into violently shouting "Tango Down!" at random strangers on the street. He now directs that positive energy into his writing (due in no small part to a binding court order).