Google Play Store In-App Purchase Now Requires Password

Google Play Store has added a new security feature that would require a user to enter a password before making in-app purchases. This is to prevent kids or others from making unauthorized purchases on one's device.

Different game distribution platforms like Google Play and Apple App Store were equipped with a feature that requires a password. However, with Google, after entering the password, there is a 30-minute window for users to download without the need of entering the password again. This is when most unauthorized purchases take place.

Unauthorized purchases, which charge credit card bills much, have been an issue to several parents in the United States. Just recently, a mother sued Google after her son spent $65.95 on virtual currency for the game Marvel Run Jump Smash!

The lawsuit filed on March 14 in San Francisco accused Google of unjust enrichment and violation of consumer protection laws. The company was also accused of tempting kids into purchasing games and apps.

Because of this event, the company worked seriously on adding a security feature that would prevent that from happening again.

The new option, which can be enabled in Google Play Store's settings page, now requires users to enter their password every time they make a purchase, Digital Trends reported.

Google has also put a twist in its Play Store so that titles of in-app purchases will be highlighted.

Back in January, Apple has also been through the same scenario when it was ordered to cover the cost of unauthorized in-app purchases of kids, even if the parents can disable the feature in iOS. The company paid the parents of kids who made a purchase from March 2011 a total of $32.5 million.

Moreover, Apple and Google, sometime before, were both called to talk about the implications of freemium games and in-app purchases before the European Commission.

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