Apps get age-restriction alerts in iPhone OS 3.0
Due to the parental controls on the new iPhone OS 3.0, it seems that Apple has added age-restrictions warnings to a few apps in the App Store.
When I tried to update to the latest Shazam for iPhone after I installed iPhone OS 3.0, I saw this age warning pop-up window when the phone attempted to install the update:
Age-restriction warning on applications in iPhone OS 3.0
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET)I found this curious, because:
- I had already downloaded the application; this was just an update--if I was OK with the original application, shouldn't the update be kosher as well?
- Shazam is perhaps no more "objectionable" than just turning on the radio; it's just telling you the song it thinks the source is playing.
Moral questions aside, it seems the addition of this age-restriction warning is because of the parental controls on the new iPhone OS 3.0.--as a parent, you can allow app downloads based on age (from 4+ to 17+), so we suspect you'll see a lot more age-restriction warnings added to apps in the App Store. This might be a wise move on Apple's part--Apple has already come under some criticism for rejecting seemingly legitimate apps like the one from Nine Inch Nails and the Eucalyptus e-book reader just because it provides access to the publicly available Kama Sutra. Perhaps if it removes itself as mediator and simply slaps on age-restriction warnings, Apple might save itself some bad press. We'll see if this works out as intended.
