Smurfs’ Village, the iPhone/iPad game a lot of parents point the finger at for accidental in-app purchases, has now added a few warnings.
The first sentence of the game description now reads:
“Smurf Village is free to play, but charges real money for additional in-app content. You may lock out the ability to purchase in-app content by adjusting your device’s settings.”
When players launch the game the first time, a pop-up also warns that add-ons in building the virtual village come with real-world price tags.
Those caveats probably won’t stop the ire of parents, though, whose young kids will find it even easier now to make super-sized buys with the game.
Before, a the highest two-tap Smurfberries purchase option was a “wheelbarrow” for $59.99, now it’s a “wagon” for $99.99.
Smurfs’ Village is currently third-highest grossing game for the iPad. Other top-grossing “free” games for the iPhone and iPad, including “Tap Zoo” and “Bakery Story,” also have $99.99 in-game purchase options but do not have up-front warnings.
The best option: disable in-app purchases. To wit, the second part of Capcom’s warning says:
“You may lock out the ability to purchase in-app content by adjusting your device’s settings.
iOS will keep you logged on for 15 minutes after you download the app. Additional purchases won’t require a re-entry of the password during this 15- minute interval. This is a function of the iOS software and not within our control.”
Source: AP
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco freelance writer who heads up Cult of Mac Magazine, our weekly publication available on iTunes. You can find her on Twitter and Google+. If you’re doing something new, cool and Apple-related, email her.
