After Apple, Google sued for making money from unauthorized in-app purchases by children

A class-action suit has been reportedly filed against Google in relation to the unauthorized in-app purchases made on Android devices by children.

The class-action suit has been filed on behalf of all persons in the US who paid for unauthorized purchases of game currency by their minor children through the Google Play app store.

According to PC World, the complainants have argued that many games in the Google Play store are offered free, but are designed to induce in-app purchases of virtual supplies, ammunition, fruits and vegetables or cash.

The complaint noted that the games were highly addictive, designed deliberately so, and tend to compel children playing them to purchase large quantities of game currency, amounting to as much as $100 per purchase or more.

Although, Google prompts for entering password prior to purchasing an app or buying in-game currency, but once the password is entered, the store allows purchases for up to 30-minutes, without the need for reentering the password.

This major loophole allows minors to make purchases without authorization and causing Google to 'pocket millions of dollars.'

The lawsuit, seeking damages for affected parents, comes after rival Apple was sued for similar charges, where the tech giant agreed to pay at least 32.5 million dollars to customers and also tweak its in-app purchase rules, making it mandatory for users to enter passwords for each purchase, the report added.