Table 6.
Key issues and recommendations for mHealth app payments features
| Key issues found | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| - Hidden app costs/Nontransparent to | - The description of any mHealth app should |
| use full functionality of mHealth apps | clearly state if it requires extra cost to use all |
| functions before users become dependent on it | |
| for their health needs | |
| - Incorrect and unclear mHealth app | - mHealth apps may be free for a certain trial |
| free vs paid description | period to allow users to test functionality be- |
| fore purchasing the app and becoming depen- | |
| dent on it | |
| - Sometimes viewing or analysing | - Users should be able to receive a refund using |
| mHealth app user records leads to | a simple form and process |
| unauthorised payments where users | |
| are wrongly charged as an in-app pur- | |
| chase feature | |
| - Charging users after trialing some | - Automatically cancelling free trials and/or |
| mHealth features although users are no | reminding users to cancel their free trials for |
| longer using it | health features before being charged |
| - Users are unable to unlock the pre- | - Careful testing to ensure that users who pur- |
| mium mhealth features even after pur- | chased the app will have no issues to unlock |
| chasing or subscribing to the premium | all premium mhealth functionalities |
| version | |
| - mHealth users are unable to restore | - Careful testing to have an in-app-purchase |
| in-app-purchasing after changing their | restore button in a clear place in the app |
| mobile or using a different device |