There are three different ways to control in-app spending. On an iPhone or iPad, Screen Time can block every in-app purchase. Apple’s Ask to Buy can instead send a child’s eligible app-download and in-app-purchase requests to a parent for approval. On Android, Google Play family settings can require approval for only in-app purchases or for all purchases charged to the family payment method. If you are protecting the account owner’s own Android phone, Google Play purchase verification adds an authentication step rather than a parent-review workflow.
Choose the control that matches the outcome you want: a complete block, case-by-case approval, or authentication before the account owner pays. The procedures below use the current menu names documented by Apple and Google; wording can vary with software version, account type, country, and region.
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Choose the right control before changing a setting
“Turn off in-app purchases” and “require approval” are not the same action. A block prevents the transaction from proceeding. An approval system allows a request to be reviewed first. Authentication asks the account holder to prove their identity at checkout.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Stop all in-app spending | iPhone or iPad | Screen Time in-app-purchase restriction | In-app purchases are set to Don’t Allow; some current screens label the equivalent state Blocked. |
| Review a child’s requests | Child in Apple Family Sharing | Ask to Buy | The organizer or a designated parent or guardian receives a request and approves or declines it. |
| Review Android in-app purchases | Child or supervised member in a Google family group | Purchase approvals: Only in-app purchases | Google Play asks the family manager to approve purchases processed through Google Play billing. |
| Review broader Android spending | Family member using the family payment method | Purchase approvals: All purchases that use the family payment method | Approval applies to purchases charged through that family payment method, not only in-app items. |
| Prevent accidental purchases on your own Android account | Individual Google Play account | Purchase verification | Google Play requests the account’s configured verification method at the chosen verification frequency. |
Use the complete block when no in-app purchase should be possible. Use approval when a parent wants to decide item by item. Use authentication when the same account owner is making legitimate purchases but wants a barrier against accidental or unauthorized taps.
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Block in-app purchases completely on an iPhone or iPad
Apple’s Screen Time restriction is the clearest option when the requirement is “no in-app spending at all.” Screen Time must be enabled before the in-app-purchase control can be changed.
Set the Screen Time restriction
- Open Settings.
- Tap Screen Time. If Screen Time is not already active, turn it on and complete Apple’s setup prompts.
- Open Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn the restrictions on.
- Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.
- Tap In-app Purchases.
- Choose Don’t Allow. On some current Apple support screens, the equivalent choice is labeled Blocked.
After this setting is applied, an in-app purchase handled within Apple’s supported distribution and billing path cannot be completed from that device while the restriction remains active.
Protect the restriction with a passcode
Set a Screen Time passcode that the child does not know. Without a separate, private passcode, the restriction can be changed from the device. The passcode should not be the same code the child uses to unlock the iPhone or iPad.
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When a complete block is the better choice
- You do not want to review individual requests.
- The device is used by a young child who should not make paid requests.
- You need a simple rule that applies to every in-app purchase covered by Apple’s control.
Require a parent’s approval on an iPhone or iPad with Ask to Buy
Ask to Buy is Apple’s request-and-review workflow for a child in Family Sharing. It is designed for parents who want to decide case by case instead of banning every purchase.
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Turn on Require Purchase Approval
- On the adult’s Apple device, open Settings.
- Tap Family.
- Select the child’s name.
- Choose Apps & Websites.
- Tap Restrictions.
- Open Ask to Buy.
- Turn on Require Purchase Approval.
The organizer or a designated parent or guardian manages this setting. Apple describes Ask to Buy as covering eligible app downloads and in-app purchases. When the child attempts an eligible download or in-app purchase, the adult receives a request and can approve or decline it. Approval adds the item to the child’s Apple Account; declining means the download or purchase does not occur.
Understand what Ask to Buy does not mean
Ask to Buy is not a blanket block. It preserves a purchase request that an adult can authorize. If your rule is that no in-app purchase may happen under any circumstances, use Screen Time’s Don’t Allow or Blocked setting instead.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteApple notes that age, country, and region can affect Ask to Buy defaults and availability. Keep the Apple devices used for Family Sharing management on current software, as Apple recommends, and verify that the adult is signed in as the organizer or an eligible parent or guardian.
What the approval exchange looks like
- The child selects an eligible app download or in-app purchase.
- Apple sends a request to the adult responsible for approvals.
- The adult reviews the request and chooses approve or decline.
- If approved, Apple completes the transaction and adds the item to the child’s Apple Account; if declined, the requested transaction is not completed.
Apple’s stated purpose is to require permission for a child to download or purchase an app or make an in-app purchase, regardless of the app’s age rating. Eligibility and availability can still vary by region and account circumstances.
Require approval for in-app purchases on Android
Google Play family groups provide a parent-controlled approval setting. The family manager chooses how broad the approval rule should be, including a setting limited to in-app purchases.
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Set approval for only in-app purchases
- Open Google Play.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Choose Settings.
- Tap Family.
- Open Manage family members.
- Select the family member whose purchases you want to control.
- Tap Purchase approvals.
- Choose Only in-app purchases.
This is the narrow setting for a child who may download or buy other permitted content but must obtain approval before an in-app transaction. Google states that these approvals apply to purchases made through Google Play’s billing system.
Choose a broader approval scope when necessary
The same Purchase approvals menu offers additional scopes:
- All content requires approval across the available content categories covered by the family setting.
- All purchases that use the family payment method covers paid purchases charged to that payment method, rather than only in-app purchases.
- No approval required removes the family approval requirement.
Select All purchases that use the family payment method when the concern includes paid apps or other paid Google Play content. Select Only in-app purchases when that is the only category you need to review.
How a Google Play approval is completed
When an approval-controlled purchase is requested, the parent or family manager reviews the request and enters the Google Account password to approve it. Google sends the family manager an email receipt when a purchase is completed. The approval setting governs Google Play billing transactions; it does not automatically intercept a payment handled by a different billing system.
Require authentication for purchases on an individual Android account
If the Android device belongs to you and you want to stop accidental or unauthorized taps, purchase verification is more appropriate than creating a child approval workflow. It asks for the account’s configured verification method at purchase time.
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Turn on Google Play purchase verification
- Open Google Play.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Choose Payments & subscriptions.
- Tap Purchase verification.
- Open Verification requirement or Verification frequency, depending on which control your account displays.
- Choose the desired option and confirm.
Google says purchase verification helps prevent accidental or unauthorized purchases on the device. Keep the Google Account password and any screen-lock or biometric credential used for verification private from anyone who should not be able to buy.
Authentication versus family approval
Purchase verification authenticates the account that is making the transaction. It does not send a child’s request to another adult for a decision. If a parent must approve a child’s purchase, use a Google family group and Purchase approvals instead.
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Apple restrictions do not cover every checkout path
Apple’s in-app-purchase restriction is tied to Apple’s distribution and billing ecosystem. Apple warns that restricting in-app purchases may not prevent a purchase in an app installed from an alternative app marketplace, or a transaction completed on an external website. If an app opens a web checkout, control that transaction through the service’s own account settings or the payment account used on the web.
Google approvals apply to Google Play billing
Google’s family approval setting applies to purchases made through Google Play billing. A purchase processed by another billing system may not create a Google Play approval request. Check where the payment is actually processed before assuming that the family setting covers it.
Menus and availability can vary
Labels and menu locations can differ by iOS or iPadOS release, Android version, Google Play version, account age, country, and region. A missing option does not necessarily mean the feature was removed; it may indicate that a prerequisite, supervision relationship, or regional condition is not satisfied.
Troubleshoot a missing setting or an unexpected purchase
The Apple in-app-purchase option is unavailable
- Confirm that Screen Time is enabled.
- Open Content & Privacy Restrictions and verify that restrictions are turned on.
- Return to iTunes & App Store Purchases and look for In-app Purchases.
- Remember that some Apple screens use Blocked where others show Don’t Allow.
- Make sure the child does not know the Screen Time passcode.
Ask to Buy is not appearing
- Verify that the child is part of the correct Family Sharing group.
- Confirm that you are the organizer or a designated parent or guardian.
- Check the child’s Settings > Family > [child’s name] > Apps & Websites > Restrictions area for Ask to Buy.
- Consider whether age, country, or region affects the feature’s default or availability.
- Update the Apple devices used to manage Family Sharing, following Apple’s recommendation to use current software.
Google Play Purchase approvals are missing
- Confirm that the accounts are in a Google family group.
- Open Google Play > profile picture > Settings > Family > Manage family members and select the intended family member.
- Check whether the account has the correct parent, child, or supervised-family relationship.
- Review the selected scope: Only in-app purchases, All purchases that use the family payment method, All content, or No approval required.
A purchase bypassed approval
- Identify whether the transaction used Apple or Google billing at all.
- Look for an external website checkout or an alternative app marketplace.
- On Android, check whether the purchase used a billing system other than Google Play.
- For a web-based transaction, apply controls through the service account or payment account because device-store approval may not intercept it.
Practical choices for common family situations
“My child must never buy game currency”
On an iPhone or iPad, use Screen Time, enable Content & Privacy Restrictions, and set In-app Purchases to Don’t Allow or Blocked. Protect the Screen Time passcode. On Android, choose Google Play Purchase approvals with Only in-app purchases if you want to review requests; use the broader family-payment setting if paid apps and other paid content must also be approved.
“I want my child to ask before downloading or buying”
Use Apple Ask to Buy for a child in Family Sharing and turn on Require Purchase Approval. On Android, use a Google family group and select the approval scope that matches the content you want to review. These workflows preserve a request that an adult can approve or decline rather than silently rejecting every request.
“I sometimes buy things, but I want to stop accidental taps”
On Android, use Google Play Purchase verification on the individual account and choose the verification requirement or frequency shown for that account. Keep the verification credential private. On Apple devices, a purchase-password requirement can add authentication, but it does not replace the Screen Time block when the objective is to prohibit in-app purchases entirely.
Check the result after setup
After changing a control, test the exact purchase path you intend to govern. For Apple, confirm that an in-app purchase is blocked when Don’t Allow or Blocked is selected, or that an Ask to Buy request reaches the responsible adult. For Google Play, confirm that the selected family member receives an approval request for a Google Play-billed in-app item, or that purchase verification requests the configured authentication method on an individual account.
If the test does not match the setting, stop and identify the billing route before changing more controls. A web checkout, alternative marketplace, or non-Google billing system can sit outside the store-level setting, so the remedy may need to be applied to the service or payment account itself.
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