EU Commission Ruling helps smartphone users fight app rip off – Hayes

Fine Gael Dublin MEP, Brian Hayes, has today (Saturday) cautioned consumers to be aware of hidden charges when it comes to using apps on smartphones.

“With Christmas just around the corner, people need to be aware of their rights when buying a smartphone and downloading apps. Apple and Google would have people believe that an app is free, when it’s not.

“Smartphone users are often unaware of the many additional charges associated with some apps. Just because an app is free to download, doesn’t mean that charges won’t apply when in use. Photo editing apps where you can purchase additional filters or games, are often the biggest offenders with hidden charges.

“The European Commission are on to this.  The Apple Store previously advertised its apps as ‘Free’. Now they have been directed by the European Commission to call them ‘Free’ to ‘Get’.

“While I welcome this progress – more needs to be done.  The Apple App Store and the Google Play Store require passwords when downloading new apps. However, once the password is entered the first time, users have 15 minutes where they can make further purchases and downloads without having to enter the password again. While options exist to change this, it is not well known among consumers.”