Parents whose children racked up hundreds of dollars in in-app purchases on Apple devices are getting their money back. Apple has entered into a consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission, agreeing to refund the parents of children who racked up big charges in-app purchases without their explicit consent. The company is required to pay out a minimum of $32.5 million and notify affected consumers that refunds are available. Any funds Apple doesn’t dole out within 12 months must be remitted to the FTC.
Apple Inc. AAPL +2.01% on Wednesday settled a complaint by the Federal Trade Commission alleging the technology giant didn’t do enough to prevent children from making purchases on mobile apps without their parents’ consent. As part of the settlement, Apple agreed to refund a minimum of $32.5 million for all unauthorized charges and modify its billing practices for mobile apps to ensure it obtains express consent from consumers before charging them.