Spend hundreds of euros in Fortnite while the game is actually free? iPhoned explains what you need to know about in-app purchases and games.
iPhone guide: In-app purchases and games
No doubt you have heard about a child who spent hundreds to thousands of dollars in a mobile game without the parents realizing. Such horror stories come from in-app purchases. After a game has been purchased from the App Store or downloaded for free, there are usually still many ways to spend money within the app.
Take the popular Fortnite. This game is free, but the maker still earns tons of money with it. Although gamers can continue to play the game without ever spending a penny, Fortnite makes it particularly attractive to put in a few euros every time.
What are in-app purchases in games?
In-app purchases in games are extras that players can purchase for that game. These in-app purchases can be roughly divided into three categories:
- New levels / episodes (For example: Super Mario Run)
Some games are divided into separate parts. The game can be downloaded for free from the App Store, but players will then only receive the first level or the first episode of a series. The rest of the game is purchased through in-app purchases.
- Bonuses for the game (For example: Pokémon GO)
This category contains extras that help with the game. Think of extra lives, more energy or even a stronger weapon.
- Cosmetic items (example: Fortnite)
The third category consists of cosmetic items. Think of a new outfit for the game character or dancing. These items do not give a bonus in-game.
What about Fortnite?
Fortnite is the largest game at the moment and that is unlikely to change for the time being. So this is the place where many children spend their money. In Fortnite you pay real money for V-Bucks. These V-Bucks can also be earned by playing, but that is very slow. Earned or purchased V-Bucks can be used to purchase cosmetic items.
In Fortnite, new items are offered daily in the form of clothing, dances and a new look for a weapon. To make the show, players naturally want to look nice. If the friends you play with are having a dance and you haven’t yet, the social pressure is high to spend some money.
Money can also be spent on a Battle Pass or Premium Battle Pass in Fortnite. This purchase helps to get rewards faster in-game. Most players opt for the standard Battle Pass, which amounts to about ten euros per ten weeks.
What’s dangerous about it?
The dangerous thing about in-app purchases is that it can quickly add up unnoticed. This often involves small amounts. Spending a dollar to keep playing doesn’t sound like much, but if you do that every day, you put hundreds of euros in a game unnoticed.
Many games in the App Store are made in such a way that players first become addicted to playing, after which the possibilities are suddenly reduced and players can only continue by waiting or paying. Consider, for example, games with an energy system. There is also the danger that children with an Apple account to which, for example, a credit card is linked, will continue to make unnoticed purchases.
Revenue model
As a revenue model, there is nothing wrong with in-app purchases. It is an important way in which game creators make money, which, among other things, is used to improve the game or create new games.
This revenue model is necessary, because people are often not willing to pay a lot of money for a smartphone game. That while sometimes large teams work on a game for years. An in-app purchase is also often a way for players who enjoy a game to reward the creators.
In the case of Fortnite, paying a tenner every few months is a pittance given the amount of hours players put in and the pleasure they get.
Turn off in-app purchases
It is possible to set an iPhone so that children can no longer make in-app purchases. From iOS 12 you do that in a new place. To do this, go through the following steps.
- Open the iOS settings menu;
- Go to ‘Screen Time’;
- Choose ‘Material and privacy’;
- Flip the switch at ‘Restrictions’;
- Tap on ‘iTunes Store and App Store’;
- Tap on ‘In-app purchases’;
- Choose ‘Do not allow’.
Children can now re-enable the option in the settings menu. To put a stop to this, you set an access code. To do this, go through the following steps.
- Open the iOS settings menu;
- Go to ‘Screen Time’;
- Choose ‘Use screen time passcode’;
- Make up a code consisting of four digits.
Screen Time settings can then only be adjusted using this code.
How do I get my money back?
Did children unexpectedly spend money in the App Store when that was actually not allowed? Then it is possible to request that money back. That can be done via this website. There you describe your problem and that you want your money back. It may then take a while until you actually receive your money.
There is no guarantee that you will actually get your money back, but you can always try. A refund must be made within fourteen days.
More possibilities of Screen Time
If you’re in the iOS 12 settings menu at Screen Time, you might as well try out the other new features there. Thus, iOS 12 makes your iPhone less addictive.