Use Parental Gate for an entire section?

Solar2D iOS
#1

Hi Everybody,

I’m working on an educational app that we are going to mark as “for kids” in the iOS App Store, so obviously we need to implement a Parental Gate for anything that links outside the app. I have a “for grownups” section accessible from the home screen that will contain links to curriculum guide PDFs that I want to open in Safari (outside the app), so that users can print those PDFs or open them in iBooks. My question is, can I implement a single parental gate check when accessing the “for grownups” section, or will Apple reject my app if I don’t run a Parental Gate check every time the user links out of the app (meaning for each individual PDF link)? Anybody have any first-hand experience with this?

Normally I just implement a PG check anytime I link out of the app, but I’ve got close to 2 dozen PDFs I’m linking out to in that grownups section, and I don’t want to hassle my grownup users every time they click a link - gating off the whole section makes more sense to me, but I know Apple rarely cares about what makes sense to me. I’m hoping to avoid a needless rejection cycle if possible.

Thanks,

Jason

#2

I’d implement PG for entering “for grownups” section, if user enters that section he/she must have gone through PG and there is no need to recheck. Most of kids app on AppStore do it this way.

#3

You only need a Parental Gate upon entering the “grownups” section.

Once inside you don’t need to do any more checking.

#4

Thanks guys - I feel much more confident that I won’t waste time on an automatic rejection now.

#5

Can you explain for a newbie what a Parental Gate is please!
I am working on a kids app and recently read the COPPA guidelines which seems to blow kids developers out of the water. 
I would ideally like to offer  FREE lite app with the opportunity to buy the full featured via IAP. 

#6

Hi MisterK,

“Parental Gate” is a catch-all term for any mechanism that is in place to make it harder for a child to access something they shouldn’t. Sort of like a child safety lid on a pill bottle. It can take many forms (forcing a double-tap, asking for birthdate, solving a math problem, etc.). Apple says that you must use a parental gate “in apps targeted towards kids to prevent them from engaging in commerce or following links out of an app to websites, social networks, or other apps without the knowledge of their parent or guardian. A parental gate presents an adult level task which must be completed in order to continue.” In your case, you would need a parental gate before the user can initiate an in-app purchase.

Here is a link with Apple’s official take on parental gates: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/parental-gates/ 

#7

Thanks for the info @schroederapps. I will look at that link. I was initially downhearted after reading a video on COPPA and how it could potentially wreak havoc on developers making kids apps and games. I have researched a little bit on Google and i’ve come up with a few 3rd party solutions you might have heard of: Agecheq and Superawesome. 
Not sure how well supported they are in Corona 

#8

I’d implement PG for entering “for grownups” section, if user enters that section he/she must have gone through PG and there is no need to recheck. Most of kids app on AppStore do it this way.

#9

You only need a Parental Gate upon entering the “grownups” section.

Once inside you don’t need to do any more checking.

#10

Thanks guys - I feel much more confident that I won’t waste time on an automatic rejection now.

#11

Can you explain for a newbie what a Parental Gate is please!
I am working on a kids app and recently read the COPPA guidelines which seems to blow kids developers out of the water. 
I would ideally like to offer  FREE lite app with the opportunity to buy the full featured via IAP. 

#12

Hi MisterK,

“Parental Gate” is a catch-all term for any mechanism that is in place to make it harder for a child to access something they shouldn’t. Sort of like a child safety lid on a pill bottle. It can take many forms (forcing a double-tap, asking for birthdate, solving a math problem, etc.). Apple says that you must use a parental gate “in apps targeted towards kids to prevent them from engaging in commerce or following links out of an app to websites, social networks, or other apps without the knowledge of their parent or guardian. A parental gate presents an adult level task which must be completed in order to continue.” In your case, you would need a parental gate before the user can initiate an in-app purchase.

Here is a link with Apple’s official take on parental gates: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/parental-gates/ 

#13

Thanks for the info @schroederapps. I will look at that link. I was initially downhearted after reading a video on COPPA and how it could potentially wreak havoc on developers making kids apps and games. I have researched a little bit on Google and i’ve come up with a few 3rd party solutions you might have heard of: Agecheq and Superawesome. 
Not sure how well supported they are in Corona