Apple has stopped trumpeting free apps in the App Store.
In a subtle but significant shift, Apple on Wednesday rebranded apps that were once labeled free. To select an app that is free to download, users now tap a button that reads GET, rather than FREE.
Though Apple did not explain the change, it was likely a response to growing concern that many purportedly free apps are not truly free – particularly freemium games that let users start playing at no cost but then prod them to make purchases as they advance. Over the summer, the European Commission announced that it had urged Google and Apple not to mislead consumers about the full cost of apps. The Commission also voiced concern that children were being prompted to download free games and then nagging their parents to buy items for them.
In response to the Commission s concerns, Google backed away from so-called free apps in EU countries earlier this year, as TechCrunch noted. Rather than wait for American regulators to fuss, Apple appears to have made the change globally.
An Apple spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple will likely draw praise from consumer advocates – and beleaguered parents – for being more upfront in the App Store. The wordsmiths over at SiliconBeat are just wondering whether they could have found a more elegant verb to emblazon on the button – say, DOWNLOAD or INSTALL ?
Above: Apple has relabeled apps that are free to download in the App Store (Getty Images).