A free game can still charge real money for coins, lives and skins, and the bill tends to show up a week later. Here is how to turn off in app purchases on an iPhone, an iPad or an Android phone in about two minutes. On Apple devices the switch lives in Screen Time, and on Android the closest thing is a password prompt in Google Play. None of this is hard. It is just hidden, and if you don't know where it is, you don't know.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone and iPad, Screen Time can block every in-app purchase with one switch.
- Set a Screen Time passcode that differs from the device passcode, or a child can flip it back.
- Android has no off switch, so set Google Play to ask for verification on every purchase.
- Ask to Buy and Family Link send each child purchase to your phone for approval first.
- Test the block with a free item before you hand the device over.
Block in-app purchases on an iPhone or iPad
Where to find it Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > In-app Purchases > Don't Allow
This is the switch that does the job, and it covers the whole device, so it is how to disable in app purchases on iPhone for every app at once. Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions first, then set In-app Purchases to Don't Allow. Once it is set, a game can still show its store, but the purchase simply will not go through.
The same path is how to turn off in app purchases on iPad, which matters because the iPad is usually the family device. Set it on any device a child might pick up, even an adult's own, since kids find their way to every screen in the house.
If you want to go one step further, set Installing Apps to Don't Allow on the same screen. That stops a child from adding a new free game that comes with its own store.
Set a Screen Time passcode that stays private
Where to find it Settings > Screen Time > Lock Screen Time Settings
A restriction is only as strong as the code that guards it. Use a Screen Time passcode that is different from the code that unlocks the device. A child who knows the unlock code, and most of them do, could otherwise walk into Screen Time and switch purchases back on.
Apple suggests adding your Apple Account during setup so you can reset this passcode if you forget it. Do that. A forgotten Screen Time code is a much bigger headache than a forgotten game.
How to turn off in app purchases on Android
Where to find it Google Play > your profile picture > Payments & subscriptions > Purchase verification > Always
Android does not offer a single switch that blocks in-app purchases outright. What Google Play gives you instead is a gate. Set purchase verification to Always, and every purchase through Google Play asks for your password, fingerprint or screen lock before it goes through.
Here is the catch I want you to know about. Anyone who knows the phone's PIN can also pass that check on most phones. So if you share the PIN with a child, the gate is open. Keep the PIN to yourself, or use a child account with Family Link instead, which is the stronger option.
Approve a child's purchases from your own phone
Where to find it On iPhone, Settings > Family > your child > Ask to Buy. On Android, Family Link > your child > Controls > Google Play
For a child with their own account, approval beats blocking. With Ask to Buy on Apple devices, a purchase attempt sends a request to the family organizer, and nothing is charged until you approve it. On Android, Family Link lets you require approval for all content or only for paid content, which includes in-app purchases.
I like this setup because it turns a fight into a conversation. Your child asks, you see exactly what they want and what it costs, and you decide. Teens can keep some independence without your card being on the line.
If you have not set up a family group yet, our guide to the best family organizer apps covers Family Sharing and the shared calendar that comes with it.
Test the block before you trust it
Where to find it The App Store or Google Play > any game > a free item or a cheap pack
Settings menus change between updates, so check your work. Open a game on the child's device and try to buy something small. On an iPhone with purchases blocked, the purchase will not go through. With Ask to Buy or Family Link, you should get a request on your own phone within a minute.
If a charge does slip through, Apple and Google both have refund request pages for purchases made by mistake, so report it quickly rather than waiting for the next statement. And while you are in Settings, it is worth a look at our list of hidden Android features, since App pinning is another good way to keep a child inside one game.
The Two-Minute Habit
Every time a new phone or tablet enters the house, run these settings before it reaches small hands. It takes two minutes, and it is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. The secret was never complicated. It just helps to have someone point at the right switch.
FAQs about in-app purchases
- Does Screen Time block purchases inside every game?
- Yes, the In-app Purchases setting applies to apps that sell items through Apple's own payment system, which covers nearly every game in the App Store. A game that sells things on its own website is outside that switch.
- Can I turn off in-app purchases on Android without Family Link?
- Not fully, because Android has no single off switch for them. Requiring verification for every Google Play purchase is the closest option, and it only works if the child does not know the phone's PIN.
- Will turning off in-app purchases stop subscriptions too?
- On an iPhone with in-app purchases set to Don't Allow, new subscriptions sold inside apps are blocked as well. Subscriptions that already exist keep renewing until you cancel them in your account settings.
- Why does my child still see the game's store?
- The store screen is part of the game, so it still appears. The block works at the payment step, which means a tap on Buy fails or sends you a request instead of charging your card.
- Does Ask to Buy work for teenagers?
- Ask to Buy is on by default for children under 13 in a family group and can be turned on for anyone under 18. The family organizer approves or declines each request from their own device.
- What if I forget my Screen Time passcode?
- If you added your Apple Account when you set the passcode, you can reset it from the same Screen Time screen. Without that, the reset is much harder, so add the account during setup.
- Is it safe to share my phone's PIN with my kids?
- It is better not to on Android, because the PIN can approve Google Play purchases on most phones. On an iPhone, a separate Screen Time passcode keeps the purchase block safe even if the unlock code is shared.
