In 2016, a US federal judge ruled that Amazon failed to clearly inform parents that in-app purchases may apply within free applications. The Federal Trade Commission estimated that parents were incorrectly charged upwards of $70 million between November 2011 and May of last year. 

The company has dropped its appeal against the decision, which means refunds can now commence.  

Details from the case showed that Amazon did not clearly inform parents about the in-app purchases, prompt for a password or provide enough notice. 

Amazon had request to refund the purchases in the form of gift cards back in November. This proposal was rejected by a US district judge. It is now thought that customers will receive the refund back onto their debit or credit cards. 

Switch off 

Many free apps offer in-app purchases. If you wish to turn them off, simply go into your settings. 

On iPhone: Settings > General > Restrictions. 

This will prompt you for a restrictions password. Once entered, you can set restrictions for various apps. You will see "In-app purchases". Swipe this to the left to disable in-app purchases.