Linking one’s Apple ID to a credit card may seem like a wonderfully convenient idea, but it’s also something of a security risk without proper protections in place. As was bound to happen with readily accessible digital purchases, kids racked up excessive and expensive in-app purchases in the games parents had downloaded for them. Part of this was tied to an oversight in which, for the first fifteen minutes after downloading an app like Angry Birds, in-app purchases can be made without a password.
Apple has now set up a webpage at which parents can apply for compensation. Such recompense includes iTunes credit ranging from $5 to the amount spent on in-app purchases within a 45-day window, but if the claim is greater than $30 or the claimant lacks an iTunes account at this point in time, they can instead claim a cash refund. Parents, though, still have to prove that they did not authorize the purchase.
It’s a little late, since this has been a known issue for a while (as it was with Xbox Live, which kept credit cards on file and allowed anyone using the console to make purchases with that card), but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.