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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.

Nicole Lee Former Editor
Nicole Lee is a senior associate editor for CNET, covering cell phones, Bluetooth headsets, and all things mobile. She's also a fan of comic books, video games, and of course, shiny gadgets.
Nicole Lee

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 apps in iPhone OS 3.0
Age-restriction warning on applications in iPhone OS 3.0 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.