What Is an In-App Purchase?

The purchase of goods and services from an application on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. In-app purchases allow developers to provide their application for free, while providing anyone who downloads the free version the opportunity to upgrade. Because the developer can always add new features and content to the application after it is downloaded, application users won’t have to download a different application later. Users typically make an in-app purchase in order to access special content or features in an app such as power-ups, restricted levels, virtual money, special characters, boosts, etc. Some application stores, such as Google Play or iTunes, allow users to download applications that allow in-app purchasing, but typically let the user know that an application has this feature. Some have policies allowing refunds if they are requested soon after a purchase is made. Application stores often take a percentage of the in-app sale.