Google Play Store Gets Update; Includes Password Protection for In-App Purchases

[dgstorm]

The Google Play Store just received an update. This was one of their biggest updates yet. It included a slew of new features, the most significant of which is default password protection for in-app purchases. This neatly solves the problem that Google faced last week when a California mother sued the company because her son racked up $66 bucks in in-app purchases playing a game on her Android device. Of course, they will probably still need to settle the lawsuit, but I can't imagine that would be too hard.

There are a number of other new changes to the Play Store included with this update. Here's a quote with more of the details,

• Bulk Install allows users to multi-select apps in the My Apps section to install together, while the existing Bulk Delete feature, which allows users to delete apps from their list that they never intend to use again, has fixed an annoying bug that previously made the list jump back to the top after an action.
• Bulk Install is particularly useful for the first time using a new device or after a factory reset or, if you're a modder, after you've flashed a new ROM.
• Elsewhere, the Settings and Help menus have been moved to the pullout side bar alongside My Apps, and the Add Auto-widget option has been renamed to a more helpful Add Icon To Homescreen.
• Perhaps the biggest change, however, is the introduction of password protection for in-app purchases. This option has been available to users of the Amazon Appstore from the outset, but with the recent outcry over children running up huge bills on games like Candy Crush Saga and Simpsons Tapped Out, this change will be a welcome one for parents everywhere. This week Google was slapped with a lawsuit in the US for failure to protect children from in-app purchases, and Apple also released a similar feature in its iOS 7.1 release.
• Elsewhere the are some almost unnoticeable user interface tweaks. Frustratingly, there's still no sign of the Not Installed list that was available in early versions of the app and allowed you to see previous purchases. Perhaps Google wants us to forget.
• Finally, there is the option tucked away in the settings to check whether you have the most recent version of the Play store, so you no longer have to guess whether Google's servers have forgotten you or not.

Source: TheInquirer

 

[hradek422]

In regards to the woman who is suing Google... next time she's going to sue them because they didn't require her password to be strong enough, so her kid figured it out and still made the purchases.

 

[Mustang02]

In regards to the woman who is suing Google... next time she's going to sue them because they didn't require her password to be strong enough, so her kid figured it out and still made the purchases.

Sad but true. Big corps would rather pay out instead of long drawn out court battles which end up costing more.

 

[PereDroid]

So... it's going to cost her at least $300 to file a lawsuit. Let me guess: she's suing for damages of a million dollars.
Seriously, what is wrong with people???