In-app purchases on iPhones are a common way to make extra money while playing games. Fortunately, they’re easy to turn off on iOS devices and iPads.
The process is straightforward and can prevent your children from running up expensive credit card bills while enjoying their favorite games or apps. You can also protect your device against accidental purchases by using biometric authentication.
Parental controls
Parental controls for computers and mobile devices allow parents to limit children’s Internet usage. These tools provide time limits, content filters (inappropriate content), monitoring, and more.
Screen time management has become an increasingly important topic for many families. A 2019 report by Common Sense Media found that two-thirds of kids are using screens for at least an hour a day. These habits can have a negative impact on children’s physical and mental health.
The first step in addressing screen time issues is to create a conversation with your kids about how they want to use their phones and other devices. This can be a one-on-one discussion or a family meeting.
It’s also important to discuss the consequences of not following rules. For example, if your child makes a purchase without permission, they may get a warning or face other consequences. This can give your kids a chance to ask for help and make amends if they need to.
To help keep your child from making purchases in apps, you can turn off the In-App Purchases option on their iPhone. This can prevent them from making unauthorized purchases and allows you to manage their spending.
Require a passcode
If you have a family member with an iPhone, it can be useful to require a passcode to make purchases on the App Store. This will prevent them from making purchases without your permission and it can help you protect their data.
Fortunately, Apple makes it easy to require a passcode on your device using Screen Time. This feature can be turned on to help you prevent unwanted or unauthorized purchases, require a password for all App Store and other purchases, or disable purchasing completely.
To use it, you first have to enable Screen Time on your device and follow the prompts to choose whose device it is, set up or enter your passcode, and then turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Once that is done, you can change the setting to require a passcode immediately for in-app purchases. This will make it impossible for anyone else to download free apps on your device and purchase them.
It’s also a good idea to make sure that you update your downloaded apps regularly. This will keep them up to date and avoid any possible security issues that might occur if you don’t do this.
Some users have reported that the persistent requirement to enter their passcodes vanished once they restarted their phones. This is especially true for older devices that are often prone to glitches in recent software and security updates.
If you have an older device and you are experiencing this problem, try to restart the phone as it might fix the issue for good.
Require a password immediately
When kids are using their devices to play games and apps, there is no doubt that they can rack up a lot of money on in-app purchases without realizing it. That is a problem that you have to address, as soon as possible.
One way to ensure that your children don’t spend too much is to require a password immediately. This will keep them from making unauthorized purchases in the App Store. The best part is that it won’t cost you anything to make this change.
The first step to take is to go into Settings. This is the menu that you can use to set up a password for your iPhone. In order to do this, you will need to disable Face ID or Touch ID for iTunes & App Store purchases.
To do this, just head to Settings and tap on Face ID & Passcode. After that, you can turn it off and you won’t have to enter a password for in-app purchases anymore.
You can also choose between Always Require or Require After 15 Minutes in this menu, which will let you control the amount of time it takes to enter your password for free downloads. If you select Always Require, you’ll have to enter your password each time you download a free app, but if you choose Require After 15 Minutes, you won’t have to do so for the first 15 minutes of downloading any free apps.
If you’re on an Android phone or tablet, you can also prevent in-app purchases by requiring biometric authentication. This is a much safer option than letting kids buy through your device and can help to protect your personal information.
Don’t allow
If you have an iPhone or iPad and have ever noticed a message that reads “Purchase – In-App Purchases are not allowed” when trying to make an in-app purchase, you may need to turn off in app purchases on your device. This is a common problem that many iPhone users have experienced and one that can be easily avoided by following the steps listed below.
For most people, in-app purchases are a great way to get the most out of their favorite apps or games. They are especially useful for buying game credits or upgrading to the paid version of an app.
However, they can also be a serious financial burden. This is particularly true if you have kids who enjoy playing games or using free apps, as they can easily be tricked into spending their prepaid budgets without your knowledge.
Fortunately, iOS includes safeguards that can help prevent your kids from purchasing unauthorized items. In fact, you can even turn off in-app purchases entirely, and then require a password to make any future purchases.
The first step is to open the Settings app and find Screen Time. Once there, tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions and move the toggle next to it to On.
This will enable Screen Time restrictions and stop your children from making in-app purchases on their iPhone or iPad. This will also ensure that no one else has access to your device, which is important if you’re worried about your child accidentally downloading an illegal app or paying for a stolen credit card number.
You can choose a passcode that is different from your device’s lock screen passcode and enter this to disable in-app purchases on your iPhone or iPad. You can also use a passcode to restore your Screen Time restrictions in the event that you forget them, but it’s best to keep this password safe and away from kids and other people who may have access to your devices.