All Android and iOS applications offer in-app purchases to unlock and provide certain functionality. Google and the Apple App Store allow users to purchase in-app content with their built-in payment features, for which they need to connect their bank accounts. Sometimes, users make accidental purchases, and to avoid such incidents, here is a guide to turn off in-app purchases, which require authentication before making purchases.
How to Control Your In-App Spending on iPhone and Android
Turning off in-app purchases on the iPhone and Google Play Store is relatively straightforward. To access specific services and content through in-app purchases, users must pay for features that unlock items for sale or remove ads from the app’s free version. To turn off this option, follow the instructions mentioned below.
How to turn off in-app purchases on Android
Google has multiple ways to ensure you remain secure against any unintended purchases.
- Open the Google Play Store, then tap on your profile in the device’s upper-right corner.
- After that, go to Settings, and from there, head over to Require Authentication for Purchases.
- From there, choose Purchase Authentication from the three options: “For all purchases through Google Play on this device.”Â
- Please enter your password or PIN to verify, and that is it!
Additionally, you can add biometric authentication. To do this, you can go to Google Play Store settings and toggle to enable biometric authentication. How to turn off in-app purchases on the iPhone
- Open Device Settings and then tap Screen Time.
- Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions and enable it by tapping the slider and turning it green.
- Tap on iTunes & App Store Purchases and then In-App Purchases.Â
- From there, select Do not Allow.
How to turn off in-app purchases on the iPad
- Open device settings and then head over to Screen Time.
- Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions, and then turn on the slider, which will turn green when enabled.
- Go to iTunes & App Store Purchases and choose In-App Purchases.
- Select the Do not Allow option to turn off in-app purchases on the iPad.
This is how you can turn off in-app purchases on the Play Store and App Store, whereas Apple gives you more control over in-app purchase settings.
Setting Parental Control on the Play Store on a Child’s Phone
You can filter certain apps and restrict your kids from accessing apps with adult content, including violent games with explicit scenes, jokes, and images.
- Open the Google Play Store and tap Menu in the device’s upper-right corner.Â
- From there, go to Settings and scroll down to find Parental Control.Â
- Toggle to enable parental control, create a 4-digit PIN and click OK.
- Choose the type of content you want to filter. Then, click Set Content Restriction, which will give you a few options for each type of app.
- Depending on your child’s age and selection, select the correct number and tap the green column on the left side.
- Tap Save and ensure you have turned off in-app purchases in the Google Play Store to avoid accidental purchases.
How to Disable Parental Controls in the App Store on a Child’s Phone
- Open Device Settings, and then head over to Screen Time.
- Select Content & Privacy Restrictions from there and tap “Content & Privacy Restrictions.”Â
- Go to iTunes and App Store Purchases, and “Content & Privacy Restrictions” will be enabled.
- Tap on iTunes App Store Purchases. From there, you can allow or disallow in-app purchases, delete apps, and install apps.
- Enter the password, and then select settings according to your preference.Â
However, it also requires a password to make purchases on iTunes and the App Store after 15 minutes. If you want to make more restrictions on your kid’s device, which gives you more control to prevent kids from downloading certain apps, follow these steps:
- Open Apple ID, then open Settings, and tap on Apple ID.
- From there, go to Family Sharing and then select Family Sharing.
- Now choose Ask to Buy, then scroll down to find Ask to Buy.
- Next, enable Ask to Buy and confirm your action by selecting the kid’s device you want to approve by tapping on the child account that you want to control or manage the Ask to Buy feature.
- Turn on Ask to Buy for your child. That is it!
Once you make these changes, you have restricted the possibility of accidental purchases, which will prevent any such unintentional purchases. Do ensure you do not hand over your screen time password to someone, as after it, it can be used to live the in-app purchase restrictions.