Developers have discovered that the latest iOS 6 beta allows users to download free apps from the App Store without entering their Apple ID passwords. Whether the feature will survive until the public release this fall remains unknown.
Since the launch of the first iOS 6 beta last month, developers already didn’t need to enter passwords for their Apple ID account in order to re-download previously purchased software. By eliminating the procedure when downloading free applications, Apple seems to be seeking to reduce the number of times iOS users have to enter their Apple ID password.
An Apple ID account stores a user’s credit card information and allows them to quickly purchase content like music and apps simply by entering the account password. But many applications are available on the company’s digital storefront free of charge and don’t require users to resort to their credit cards.
However, entering the password is an obligatory procedure in all current iOS builds. If a user completed a transaction recently, they are given a 15-minute window to make extra purchases. One remarkable exception to that rule can be seen in in-app purchases. Apple was forced to make the change with iOS 4.3 last March after parents started complaining that their kids made expensive in-app purchases when playing free games offered on the App Store.
The company’s mobile operating system also incorporates built-in restrictions allowing users to disable such basic functions as deleting or installing App Store software. In addition, users can specifically block in-app purchases from the Settings app.
