Here we can see, “Stop In-App Purchases: When Kids Go On iPhone, iPad, and iPod Spending Sprees”
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: your child makes an unintentional purchase on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, and you’re stuck with the cost. I’ll explain why iTunes and App Store transactions mount up so quickly in this article and how to disable In-App Purchases on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod.
How In-App Purchases Add Up Quickly: Time To Pay the Piper
Have you heard about the youngster who spent hundreds of dollars on his parents’ iTunes account in just a few hours? That’s exactly what occurred. For parents, iTunes has one major flaw: charges don’t always go through immediately; it can take days to complete a purchase. Personally, I’ve seen it take up to a week to complete.
While you can’t make an initial purchase on your iTunes account with a bank account that has a zero or negative balance, you can charge more than what’s available for subsequent purchases. This implies that the purchases might quickly build-up, and the transaction will (of course) bounce once it reaches the bank.
Here’s an interesting tidbit for you: Did you know that you may have a negative balance on your iTunes account? If a transaction fails to clear for some reason, it will appear as a negative balance, and your iTunes store account will be locked while the balance is outstanding. This means you won’t be able to make any new purchases, including free ones or even update apps.
Here’s A True Story For You, About My Sister
This happened to my sister on a tiny scale, yet it still cost her $46.93. She didn’t think anything of spending $0.99 on a minor In-App purchase for her daughter on her phone, but she didn’t have restrictions in place. Her daughter was at home with her stepfather, happily playing Hello Kitty Cafe, so she walked to the coffee shop to have a quick drink.
While my sister was out, she began receiving email warnings regarding a series of purchases, the most recent of which was for $19.99. “Put it down right now!” my sister yelled to her daughter as she dashed home.
Although this occurred in the Google Play Store, the lesson applies to both iPhone and Android: Put those limitations in place, or you’ll suffer the price physically.
How It Happens: You’re Free To Do Whatever You Want; No Restrictions!
You can turn off all Restrictions if you don’t have children or aren’t concerned about purchases, which means your device won’t ask you if you’re sure you want to buy something and won’t require you to enter your iTunes password every time.
If you don’t set up Restrictions, your smartphone will let you buy new Apps, Content, and In-App Purchases without any limitations. iTunes merely checks to see if your payment method is working, not how much money you have on hand.
There is, however, some good news! Several iTunes Restrictions can be set on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to allow you to purchase and play safely.
You’re On Lockdown: How To Stop In-App Purchases Using Restrictions On iPhone, iPad, and iPod
On your gadget, restrictions are your new best buddy. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, go to Settings -> General -> Restrictions to find restrictions.
If you haven’t enabled Restrictions yet, everything will be grayed out, and you’ll need to Enable Restrictions first, then establish a passcode.
Don’t use the same passcode to lock and unlock your device if you’re a parent! This is critical because if your children know your passcode for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, they may also disable Restrictions if the passcode is the same.
When you enable Restrictions, you’ll notice a succession of toggle switches, the last of which is In-App Purchases. Simply turn this switch off (the switch will no longer be green), and no In-App transactions will be permitted. To remove the restriction and make a purchase in an app, you must switch this option back on.
You can make your device demand a password for every purchase if you don’t want to eliminate the ability or are too lazy to walk back and forth. This will also prevent your children from making purchases if they do not have access to your iTunes password.
To do so, go to the Restrictions menu and select Password Settings. This will take you to a new screen with two options:
- Always Require
- Require After 15 Minutes
Because I have young children and am concerned about security, I have mine set to Always Require. This implies that I must enter my iTunes Password for every purchase I make, whether it’s an App, In-App purchases, content, or anything else that requires a download.
The other option for Require After 15 Minutes requires you to enter your password once every 15 minutes; nevertheless, if you have children, this is still not a smart idea because they can make a lot of transactions in 15 minutes.
This panel has one additional subsection, which is a Free Downloads switch. The toggle for Require Password is on (it’s green) in my screenshot, which means I have to input my password for free transactions.
You may turn this off, which means you won’t have to provide a password for free purchases, in my opinion. This offers your children the freedom to download anything free, allowing them to try out new games or apps.
Of course, you’ll have to keep an eye on their smartphones for anything you don’t want them to see, just to ensure their apps are appropriate for their age.
Touch ID & Passcode: The iPhone Fingerprint Scanner Makes Purchases Easier
One thing to keep in mind: if you have a Touch ID-enabled iPhone or iPad and have it set up for iTunes & App Store use, the Password Settings menu will not appear on the Restrictions screen. This is most likely owing to how simple it is to enter your password and make purchases with the touch of a finger, in my opinion.
When Touch ID is turned on for iTunes and the App Store, you must enter your password every time you make a transaction, including in-app purchases. You’ll have to enter your password the first time you purchase by restarting or updating your iPhone or iPad, and then it’ll ask for your fingerprint for subsequent purchases.
Congrats! No More Surprises For You!
You’ve now learned yet another Mom’s Technology Tips to add to your parenting toolkit. You may now safely give your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your children by using these settings and Restrictions, and you won’t have to worry about them making unexpected purchases. I’ve been using these settings for years and have never had an unwelcome purchase, so I share this knowledge with my fellow parents to offer them peace of mind regarding their Apple gadgets.
Conclusion
I hope you found this guide useful. If you’ve got any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to use the shape below.
User Questions:
1. How can I disable in-app purchases on my iPad for kids?
- Tap Turn on Screen Time after going to Settings > Screen Time.
- Choose “This is My [device]” or “This is My Child’s [device]” after tapping Continue
- Select Content & Privacy Restrictions from the drop-down menu.
- Select iTunes & App Store Purchases from the drop-down menu.
- Set the Don’t Allow option for In-app Purchases.
2. In family sharing, how can I turn off in-app purchases?
- Turn off the purchase sharing feature.
- On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Purchase Sharing, and on your Mac, go to System Preferences > Purchase Sharing.
- Go to Settings > Purchase Sharing > Stop Purchase Sharing on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to disable purchase sharing. Click Turn Off, then Stop Purchase Sharing on your Mac.
3. How can I set a limit on purchases on my iPad?
Go to the Google Play Store app on the Android phone or tablet you wish to limit, then hit the profile image in the top right and select “Settings.” Select “Authentication” and then “Require authentication for purchases” from the drop-down menu.
4.To those struggling with In-App Purchase addictions, this may
To those struggling with In-App Purchase addictions, this may help. (Android only, sorry iOS users!) from FFRecordKeeper
5. Deactivate In-App-Purchase : r/OculusQuest – Reddit
