【Secretive Boarding House】

The Secretive Boarding HouseShanghai Consumer Council has identified shortcomings in auto-renewal practices among 70 mobile apps and 30 short-video platforms, according to Chinese media outlet IThome. The investigation revealed that some apps failed to provide clear renewal pricing or adequately notify users before subscription renewals. For example, Weibo’s payment page omitted renewal prices, while Xiaoxiang Supermarket combined service agreements and payment steps, bypassing detailed user consent. Additionally, Evernote failed to notify users of renewal dates via any channel. The report also highlighted difficulties in canceling subscriptions. While 47.1% of apps allowed users to cancel directly within the app, 48.6% required users to navigate external payment channels. The council recommended improving price visibility, adopting multiple notification methods, and simplifying cancellation processes to align with the Consumer Protection Law’s new guidelines, which were enacted on July 1. [Shanghai Consumer Council WeChat official account, in Chinese]

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