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Apple adds ‘pay once and play’ section for IAP haters

Apple has added a new section to the App Store, offering a selection of games that enable users to pay only once in order to enjoy the title in its entirety.

The ‘pay once and play’ section, as MacStories reports (via 9to5Mac), features a selection of paid titles that don’t feature any in-app purchases. Not a single one.

Developers have angered some users by offering their titles free or for a small fee, while requiring users to spend if they wish to enjoy them beyond an elementary level.

The in-app purchase craze has seen many users rack up huge bills, while Apple has handed back millions in compensation to parents who claim their kids spent fortunes on in-app purchases without their permission.

The most recent change represents Apple’s latest effort to placate iPhone and iPad users critical of, and confused by, freemium gaming, which allows developers the potential to earn limitless revenue from their most popular games.

Seeking to protect itself against backlash from consumers, Apple recently changed the wording of its free-to-download apps from ‘free’ to ‘get’ in order to avoid confusion.

The firm also displays written warnings to potential downloaders if games do feature in-app purchases, usually listing the most popular add-ons within the App Store listing.

Read more: Best iPhone games 2015

Most gamers seem to prefer the experience of paying once up front for a title, rather than getting into a strategy game like Clash of Clans only to realise there’s only so far you can go without opening your wallet a few times.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Apple confirmed the maximum size for iOS apps has doubled from 2GB to 4GB, which should do more for iOS gaming than any other app sector.

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