How to Turn off In-App Purchases on the iPad or iPhone

Avoid being charged for app purchases that you didn't approve

by
Daniel Nations
Daniel Nations
Writer
Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, The Spruce, and other publications.
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Daniel Nations
Updated on November 11, 2019
reviewed by
Jerrick Leger headshot
Jerrick Leger
Lifewire Technology Review Board Member
Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses.
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Article reviewed on Jul 31, 2020
Jerrick Leger

In-app purchases on the iPad and iPhone have been a boon to developers and consumers, with the sharp increase in freemium games arising from the ease of in-app purchases. When a family shares an iPad, especially with young kids, these purchases can lead to surprises when the iTunes bill comes in the email. To avoid these surprises, turn off in-app purchases on your iPad or iPhone if one of your kids uses it to play games.

These instructions apply to iPads with iOS 12 and later.

How to Turn Off In-App Purchases

When you want to prevent others from using your iPad to make unauthorized purchases, turn off in-app purchases.

  1. Open the Settings app.

    The iPad Settings app

  2. Tap Screen Time.

    Screen Time on iPad

  3. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.

    Parent control on iPad restrictions

  4. Move the Content & Privacy Restrictions toggle switch to On/green.

    Content & Privacy Restrictions slider on iPad

  5. Select iTunes & App Store Purchases.

    iTunes & App Store Purchases menu on iPad

  6. Select In-App Purchases.

    This screen also has options to prevent your kids from downloading and installing apps and has iTunes ask for a password for purchases if you want more control.

    In-app Purchases setting on iPad

  7. Tap Don't Allow to turn off in-app purchases.

Which Other Restrictions Should You Turn On?

While you're in this section, you'll see other settings you can adjust to help protect your child. Apple provides a lot of control over what an iPad or iPhone user can and cannot do.

  • Screen Time: This setting first appeared in iOS 11 and provides powerful tools that monitor and control how much time kids spend on the iPad. The main screen includes a daily readout of how long the tablet has been awake and which apps have been active.
  • Downtime: This feature controls when people can use the iPad. If you don't want your kids playing games during dinner, for example, disable the tablet during those hours.
  • App Limits: You can limit how long your kids play or use particular apps with this setting, which lets you set a maximum amount of time per day that they can use those apps.
  • Content Restrictions: Like the parental controls on a TV, this setting uses content ratings to show appropriate content. For example, if you don't want your kids watching R-rated movies on the iPad, this is where you prevent that.
  • Web Content: You don't need to turn off Safari to keep your kid safe. The Web Content setting blocks and allows specific websites and restricts adult content with a single tap.
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