Unauthorised apple purchase

Aylesbury_Duck

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Perhaps you'd care to explain how, considering you are sure that the "apps on there are only for children", that those apps allow a child to spend £1110 in three weeks?  What sort of child-friendly app allows that level of expenditure?

You may not like the criticism but if it helps other parents be a little more discerning with tech and apps, it's useful.   

Criticism isn’t what helps people, advice does. Telling someone who’s overweight they are fat doesn’t help them, it puts them down. Advice helps them to improve their health. 

All apps on the App Store allow anyone to purchase things inside the app, how else would they make money? Why else would they develop the apps? An app developer is a very expensive resource, they don’t do it for free. The way they make their money is by targeting apps that are for children, why else would a zoo game where you care for animals allow you to buy a “mountain of gold” for £99.99? And if that isn’t child friendly, when it is aimed at children. Then I’d like to hear what you consider to be child friendly? Give advise to help others, not criticism, since when did bashing ppl actually become acceptable and an aide to help?

Well that's an easy one to answer. Any app that doesn't permit or even offer the possibility for a child to buy a mountain of gold for £99.99.  The last time I checked that wasn't a possibility on any of the apps I've downloaded. 

Why would you even download an app that does that?  For a 5 year old to use?
Did you check the app before downloading it?  Afterwards, to see if it was suitable?  Or are you saying that the app description is misleading or false, in which case, tell us which app it is and we can check to see if you have a valid argument on that basis. 

Caz3121

you need to ensure that in-app purchases are disabled to avoid this happening

Change your iTunes and App Store purchase options

• Go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions
• Tap on iTunes and App Store Purchases and then tap on In-app Purchases
• Tap Don’t Allow on or off

dhow1809

Aylesbury_Duck said:

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Perhaps you'd care to explain how, considering you are sure that the "apps on there are only for children", that those apps allow a child to spend £1110 in three weeks?  What sort of child-friendly app allows that level of expenditure?

You may not like the criticism but if it helps other parents be a little more discerning with tech and apps, it's useful.   

Criticism isn’t what helps people, advice does. Telling someone who’s overweight they are fat doesn’t help them, it puts them down. Advice helps them to improve their health. 

All apps on the App Store allow anyone to purchase things inside the app, how else would they make money? Why else would they develop the apps? An app developer is a very expensive resource, they don’t do it for free. The way they make their money is by targeting apps that are for children, why else would a zoo game where you care for animals allow you to buy a “mountain of gold” for £99.99? And if that isn’t child friendly, when it is aimed at children. Then I’d like to hear what you consider to be child friendly? Give advise to help others, not criticism, since when did bashing ppl actually become acceptable and an aide to help?

Well that's an easy one to answer. Any app that doesn't permit or even offer the possibility for a child to buy a mountain of gold for £99.99.  The last time I checked that wasn't a possibility on any of the apps I've downloaded. 

Why would you even download an app that does that?  For a 5 year old to use?
Did you check the app before downloading it?  Afterwards, to see if it was suitable?  Or are you saying that the app description is misleading or false, in which case, tell us which app it is and we can check to see if you have a valid argument on that basis. 

Of course I checked it. Find an app that is for children that doesn’t have in app purchases. They all do. What part of “the iPad is set up as a child’s account” don’t you understand? 

“And we can check to see if you have a valid argument” that statement says everything about you. I don’t need you to check, are you Tim Cook? If not, then I don’t need your validation, I came here for advice and you continually try to make yourself feel better by judging parenting. You are vile and need a life. Move on!

elsien

I think the previous suggestion of asking the child to show you how they did it is a good one - might show where there are any security lapses to bolster your case. 

Unfortunately when people have posted similar queries on here before (often because they’ve been less careful than you’ve tried to be) they come back to say they’ve been refunded but don’t generally say how they managed it, which leads to a degree of scepticism about the supposed end result. 

BooJewels

I'm sorry that you find yourself in this situation and can't offer any solution for how to resolve it.  But out of curiosity I looked at the Roblox game in the Play store and the description, even to use as an adult, would make me run a mile.  Firstly, it's a Pegi 7, so your argument that a 5 year old used it inappropriately may be weakened, as he perhaps shouldn't have been using it in the first instance.  And maybe your unfortunate predicament illustrates why.

But it also states "In-app Products £0.59 – £184.99 per item" and "Updates to Roblox may automatically add additional capabilities within each group."  Presumably the latter comment means they might upgrade a section and one that you thought to be safe and allowed your son to play on, might be upgraded in a manner that changes that.

As an adult, I wouldn't download that app, as I would not consider those terms to be acceptable and way too risky, so if you chose to do so, then maybe you don't have a very strong argument.  I can understand if an app was intended for children (is this one, actually, the reviews were all from adult players) that there may well be in-app purchases to fund the game, but you'd hope they might be restricted to pennies rather than up to 185 quid!  The couple of zoo tap games I looked at allowed in-app purchases up to 27 quid. 

I think your only argument might be if you know you disabled the ability for in-app purchases, but the game somehow circumvented them.

dhow1809

Housewife2020 said:

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Perhaps you'd care to explain how, considering you are sure that the "apps on there are only for children", that those apps allow a child to spend £1110 in three weeks?  What sort of child-friendly app allows that level of expenditure?

You may not like the criticism but if it helps other parents be a little more discerning with tech and apps, it's useful.   

Criticism isn’t what helps people, advice does. Telling someone who’s overweight they are fat doesn’t help them, it puts them down. Advice helps them to improve their health. 

All apps on the App Store allow anyone to purchase things inside the app, how else would they make money? Why else would they develop the apps? An app developer is a very expensive resource, they don’t do it for free. The way they make their money is by targeting apps that are for children, why else would a zoo game where you care for animals allow you to buy a “mountain of gold” for £99.99? And if that isn’t child friendly, when it is aimed at children. Then I’d like to hear what you consider to be child friendly? Give advise to help others, not criticism, since when did bashing ppl actually become acceptable and an aide to help?

Well that's an easy one to answer. Any app that doesn't permit or even offer the possibility for a child to buy a mountain of gold for £99.99.  The last time I checked that wasn't a possibility on any of the apps I've downloaded. 

Why would you even download an app that does that?  For a 5 year old to use?
Did you check the app before downloading it?  Afterwards, to see if it was suitable?  Or are you saying that the app description is misleading or false, in which case, tell us which app it is and we can check to see if you have a valid argument on that basis. 

Of course I checked it. Find an app that is for children that doesn’t have in app purchases. They all do. What part of “the iPad is set up as a child’s account” don’t you understand? 

“And we can check to see if you have a valid argument” that statement says everything about you. I don’t need you to check, are you Tim Cook? If not, then I don’t need your validation, I came here for advice and you continually try to make yourself feel better by judging parenting. You are vile and need a life. Move on!

She tried sticking her nose in with me but I put her in her place. Release the angry, positive vibes💩

I wonder who may have reported your comment...funny how it seems acceptable that the commenter can say what they want and be as judgemental as they want, as soon as “criticism” (something they keep saying I can’t take and should be able to), is going their way, it’s reported! 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

dhow1809

BooJewels said:

I'm sorry that you find yourself in this situation and can't offer any solution for how to resolve it.  But out of curiosity I looked at the Roblox game in the Play store and the description, even to use as an adult, would make me run a mile.  Firstly, it's a Pegi 7, so your argument that a 5 year old used it inappropriately may be weakened, as he perhaps shouldn't have been using it in the first instance.  And maybe your unfortunate predicament illustrates why.

But it also states "In-app Products £0.59 – £184.99 per item" and "Updates to Roblox may automatically add additional capabilities within each group."  Presumably the latter comment means they might upgrade a section and one that you thought to be safe and allowed your son to play on, might be upgraded in a manner that changes that.

As an adult, I wouldn't download that app, as I would not consider those terms to be acceptable and way too risky, so if you chose to do so, then maybe you don't have a very strong argument.  I can understand if an app was intended for children (is this one, actually, the reviews were all from adult players) that there may well be in-app purchases to fund the game, but you'd hope they might be restricted to pennies rather than up to 185 quid!  The couple of zoo tap games I looked at allowed in-app purchases up to 27 quid. 

I think your only argument might be if you know you disabled the ability for in-app purchases, but the game somehow circumvented them.

Thank you for your advice, I wasn’t aware that Roblox was for 7 year olds, it’s a game he plays with his dad, the games that he plays within it are all child appropriate (I do know there are some which aren’t targeted to children), but the water slide and theme park ones appeared to be appropriate. Nonetheless, I take full responsibility for that, and it has already been deleted due to the ease of purchasing in app benefits. 

I am in conversation with the developers of said games.

Thanks again

jon81uk

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Perhaps you'd care to explain how, considering you are sure that the "apps on there are only for children", that those apps allow a child to spend £1110 in three weeks?  What sort of child-friendly app allows that level of expenditure?

You may not like the criticism but if it helps other parents be a little more discerning with tech and apps, it's useful.   

Criticism isn’t what helps people, advice does. Telling someone who’s overweight they are fat doesn’t help them, it puts them down. Advice helps them to improve their health. 

All apps on the App Store allow anyone to purchase things inside the app, how else would they make money? Why else would they develop the apps? An app developer is a very expensive resource, they don’t do it for free. The way they make their money is by targeting apps that are for children, why else would a zoo game where you care for animals allow you to buy a “mountain of gold” for £99.99? And if that isn’t child friendly, when it is aimed at children. Then I’d like to hear what you consider to be child friendly? Give advise to help others, not criticism, since when did bashing ppl actually become acceptable and an aide to help?

Well that's an easy one to answer. Any app that doesn't permit or even offer the possibility for a child to buy a mountain of gold for £99.99.  The last time I checked that wasn't a possibility on any of the apps I've downloaded. 

Why would you even download an app that does that?  For a 5 year old to use?
Did you check the app before downloading it?  Afterwards, to see if it was suitable?  Or are you saying that the app description is misleading or false, in which case, tell us which app it is and we can check to see if you have a valid argument on that basis. 

Of course I checked it. Find an app that is for children that doesn’t have in app purchases. They all do. What part of “the iPad is set up as a child’s account” don’t you understand? 

“And we can check to see if you have a valid argument” that statement says everything about you. I don’t need you to check, are you Tim Cook? If not, then I don’t need your validation, I came here for advice and you continually try to make yourself feel better by judging parenting. You are vile and need a life. Move on!

Roblox is labelled as for children 12+
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roblox/id431946152

Aylesbury_Duck

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

dhow1809 said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Perhaps you'd care to explain how, considering you are sure that the "apps on there are only for children", that those apps allow a child to spend £1110 in three weeks?  What sort of child-friendly app allows that level of expenditure?

You may not like the criticism but if it helps other parents be a little more discerning with tech and apps, it's useful.   

Criticism isn’t what helps people, advice does. Telling someone who’s overweight they are fat doesn’t help them, it puts them down. Advice helps them to improve their health. 

All apps on the App Store allow anyone to purchase things inside the app, how else would they make money? Why else would they develop the apps? An app developer is a very expensive resource, they don’t do it for free. The way they make their money is by targeting apps that are for children, why else would a zoo game where you care for animals allow you to buy a “mountain of gold” for £99.99? And if that isn’t child friendly, when it is aimed at children. Then I’d like to hear what you consider to be child friendly? Give advise to help others, not criticism, since when did bashing ppl actually become acceptable and an aide to help?

Well that's an easy one to answer. Any app that doesn't permit or even offer the possibility for a child to buy a mountain of gold for £99.99.  The last time I checked that wasn't a possibility on any of the apps I've downloaded. 

Why would you even download an app that does that?  For a 5 year old to use?
Did you check the app before downloading it?  Afterwards, to see if it was suitable?  Or are you saying that the app description is misleading or false, in which case, tell us which app it is and we can check to see if you have a valid argument on that basis. 

Of course I checked it. Find an app that is for children that doesn’t have in app purchases. They all do. What part of “the iPad is set up as a child’s account” don’t you understand? 

“And we can check to see if you have a valid argument” that statement says everything about you. I don’t need you to check, are you Tim Cook? If not, then I don’t need your validation, I came here for advice and you continually try to make yourself feel better by judging parenting. You are vile and need a life. Move on!

That's a no then.  Are you not prepared to name the app because you've perhaps now checked and realised that the age rating and/or in-app purchase information was available before you downloaded it?  As others have pointed out, Roblox is rated above age 5, so perhaps the "zoo tap thing" is the same?

jon81uk

Lots of suggestions here for apps that are made for the age range https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/iosapps/best-kids-apps-iphone-ipad-3694888/

The Toca apps and games might be worth a look as being made for 5-8 year olds and generally have an age rating of 4+ and you pay for the app upfront, no in-app payments (although I haven't looked at all the various apps)
https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/toca-boca-ab/id419103351#see-all/i-phonei-pad-apps

Relying on "free" apps to entertain kids is probably not a good idea as they often aren't actually free. Think of the iPad as a games console and buy the games instead.