Apple Changes App Store 'Free' Button to 'Get'

Apple has changed the wording for free and freemium apps—where once the download button said "Free," it is now labeled "Get," as shown in the screenshot below. Apple didn't announce the change, but it seems likely the change is part of Apple's efforts to comply with tighter European Commission rules governing the way Apple, Google, Amazon, and other market "free" apps.

Get

You Can "Get" Weather Kitty, Still "Free"

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also scrutinized the marketing of these apps. In January of 2014, the FTC won a US$32.5 million settlement from Apple over in-app purchases.

But that settlement actually dealt with things such as parental controls and the length of time in-app purchases could be made without entering one's account password. It was less focused on labelling and marketing, meaning that the new "Get" feature is most likely part of Apple's pledge to the EC to make changes, as noted by TechCrunch.

There you have it: a minor cosmetic change with absolutely no practical effect in functionality or features that is newsworthy precisely and only because Apple made it.