The Google Play Store has made further changes to its listings for Android games by revealing how much customers could end up spending on in-app purchases for freemium games.
The new changes are the latest in a series of modifications that Google has been making to its Play Store since the European Union (EU) said that both it and Apple could do more to crack down on free-to-play games.
Now when consumers head to the page of a selected app on the Google Play Store they will see a price range for in-app purchases at the bottom of the page under the ‘Additional information’ section.
In the case of a popular freemium game such as Disney Tsum Tsum, for example, the price is listed as £1.15 – £31.16 per item.
Google claims that this change will help protect developers from liability. The tech giant also made it mandatory for freemium game developers to divulge their mailing address on Google Play Store listings earlier this month.
Google and Apple have in recent months come under fire from the EU over the misleading tactics of mobile games listed on their respective stores. Meanwhile, in the US the Federal Trade Commission fined developer TinyCo $30,000 earlier this month for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPA).
In the past, both Google and Apple have been targeted by disgruntled consumers who claimed their children had been duped into making in-app purchases worth thousands of dollars. In some cases, they even sought legal action and received payouts.
Google will be hoping that its new modifications will put the issue to bed for good. Apple has not yet revealed whether it plans to follow suit.
