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Freedom251 › Blog › Android

How to Turn Off In-App Purchases for Live-Service Games on Android and iPhone

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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To block purchases in a live-service game, use the control for the platform that processes the payment. On an iPhone or iPad, turn on Screen Time and set Settings > Screen Time > Apps & Websites > App Store > In-app Purchases > Blocked. On Android, open Google Play > profile picture > Payments & subscriptions > Purchase verification and select the strongest verification requirement available. For a child, use Apple’s Ask to Buy or Google’s Purchase approvals instead of an unrestricted account.

These controls govern Apple or Google’s billing flow. A game that opens a separate website, names another billing provider, or uses an alternative billing system may need its own account-level restriction as well.

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Decide whether you need a block or an approval step

A blanket block prevents the platform from authorizing in-app purchases on the device or account. An approval workflow leaves purchases available but requires a parent or family organizer to approve eligible requests. The right choice depends on who uses the device and whether any purchases should remain possible.

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Situation Best starting control What it does
An adult wants no game purchases on an iPhone or iPad Screen Time: In-app Purchases > Blocked Stops Apple in-app purchases on that device when the Screen Time passcode is protected.
An adult wants an extra confirmation on Android Google Play purchase verification Requires the strongest available verification before a Google Play purchase is completed.
A child uses an Apple device in a family group Ask to Buy Sends eligible purchase requests to a parent or family organizer for approval.
A child uses a Google account managed by a family group Purchase approvals or Family Link Requires approval for the selected classes of Google Play purchases.
The checkout uses another provider or a web page The game’s account, payment, or parental controls Platform settings may not govern a transaction outside Apple or Google billing.

For a shared device, a passcode or parent account is essential. A restriction that the player can change is only a prompt, not a meaningful barrier. Also check every account that can sign in to the device: changing one account’s setting does not necessarily change another account’s settings.

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Turn off in-app purchases on an iPhone or iPad

Block Apple in-app purchases completely

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Screen Time. If Screen Time is off, choose the option to turn it on and complete the setup prompts.
  3. Tap Apps & Websites, then tap App Store.
  4. Tap In-app Purchases.
  5. Select Blocked.

This is the direct switch for preventing Apple in-app purchases, including purchases initiated from a live-service game. The game can still open, accept free rewards, and run its normal online features; the payment authorization is what is restricted.

Protect the Screen Time setting

During Screen Time setup, create a Screen Time passcode that the person making the purchases does not know. Do not reuse the device unlock code if the player knows it. If the player can reset or change Screen Time through the same credentials, the restriction can be removed without your approval. Keep account-recovery details with the parent or device owner.

On a family-shared iPad, check which Apple Account is signed in for App Store purchases. Screen Time controls apply to the device, while family approval features are associated with family members and their accounts. Sign out unused accounts and remove saved payment methods that should not be available to the player.

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Use Ask to Buy when purchases should remain possible

If a child occasionally needs to buy a game item, use Ask to Buy in Apple Family settings rather than allowing unsupervised checkout. The child submits a request, and a parent or family organizer reviews it before an eligible purchase is authorized. This is an approval workflow, not a total block: approved requests can still complete, while unapproved requests do not.

Ask to Buy is useful for separating game access from spending authority. A child can continue playing free content and can request a battle pass, currency pack, or other item, but the approving adult sees the request first. Make sure the child’s Apple Account is correctly included in the family group and that the parent’s device can receive approval requests.

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If the menu wording is different

Apple changes menu labels across iOS and iPadOS releases, account types, and regions. Look for the Screen Time section that controls App Store purchases and the item named In-app Purchases. Older or different software may place the same control under an App Store or iTunes purchase-restrictions page. The outcome to verify is that in-app purchases show as blocked, not merely that Screen Time is enabled.

Require verification for Android purchases

Turn on the strongest Google Play verification

  1. Open the Google Play app.
  2. Tap your profile picture.
  3. Choose Payments & subscriptions.
  4. Tap Purchase verification.
  5. Open Verification requirement or Verification frequency, depending on what the device and account display.
  6. Select the strongest requirement available, then follow any identity or password prompts.

Google describes purchase verification as a way to help prevent accidental or unauthorized purchases. Depending on the account and device, the available choice may require verification for every purchase or may offer a frequency setting. Choose the option that asks for verification as often as possible when the goal is to stop impulse purchases in a live-service game.

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Verification is not the same as disabling purchases. An authorized user who can complete the requested password, biometric, or account check can still buy an item. For a child’s device, combine verification with a supervised family account and keep the approving credentials private.

Set approvals for a child’s Google account

  1. Open Google Play and tap the profile picture.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Open Family, then Manage family members.
  4. Select the child’s account.
  5. Tap Purchase approvals.
  6. Select Only in-app purchases if you want approval for game purchases while leaving other family settings unchanged.

Google’s Family Link app exposes the corresponding control under Controls > Google Play > Purchases and download approvals. Use the parent account to choose the approval rule; do not make the change while signed in only as the child.

Purchase approvals can be narrower than a total account lock. Selecting Only in-app purchases targets items bought inside games, such as virtual currency or a season pass, while the family manager can decide how other Google Play downloads and purchases are handled. If the child uses more than one Google Account, configure each account that can be selected at checkout.

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When Android labels or choices differ

Google Play can show different verification choices by country, account type, device, and software version. Follow the path through Payments & subscriptions and locate the current Purchase verification page. If the page offers both a requirement and a frequency setting, select the stricter option. A work-managed device, a supervised account, or a payment profile with special policies may expose fewer choices.

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Understand what these controls do—and what they do not do

Platform billing is the boundary

Apple’s Screen Time purchase restriction applies to Apple in-app purchases. Google’s child purchase approvals apply only to purchases made through Google Play’s billing system. In both cases, the setting controls the platform payment path, not every possible way a game can collect money.

Before relying on a restriction, start a purchase only far enough to inspect the checkout screen. A normal platform checkout keeps you inside the App Store or Google Play payment flow and identifies the platform’s purchase confirmation. An alternative flow may display a different billing provider, open a browser, ask you to create a separate game account, or send you to a publisher-operated payment page. If that happens, the platform setting may not stop the transaction.

Alternative billing requires a separate restriction

Some countries and games support alternative billing arrangements. Google documents that Play purchase-approval settings do not apply to transactions processed outside Google Play’s billing system. The same practical rule applies on iPhone and iPad: a Screen Time switch cannot control a payment that never reaches Apple’s in-app purchase system.

For an outside checkout, look for controls in the game account, the payment provider, or the family-safety settings of the service. Remove saved cards from that account, enable its own purchase PIN if offered, and revoke browser sessions on shared devices. If the game has no spending control, block the provider’s website or payment account at the account or household level rather than assuming the phone’s platform setting covers it.

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Existing subscriptions and pending transactions

Blocking new in-app purchases does not automatically cancel a subscription that was already authorized. Review the platform’s subscriptions list and cancel any recurring game pass or membership separately. A cancellation prevents future renewals according to the subscription’s terms; it does not necessarily reverse a charge that has already posted.

A purchase that is pending, downloading, or awaiting server confirmation may finish after you enable a restriction. Save the order receipt, note the account that made the purchase, and contact the platform or game support channel if the item is missing or the charge is disputed. Do not repeatedly tap the buy button while a transaction is pending.

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Choose the right setup for common household scenarios

Adult-owned iPhone with no game spending

Use the Screen Time block and protect its passcode. This is the clearest option when the device owner does not want any Apple in-app purchase to succeed. Review subscriptions separately if the account has previously bought recurring content.

Adult-owned Android with occasional purchases

Enable Google Play purchase verification and choose the strongest available frequency or requirement. This preserves the ability to buy while adding a deliberate checkpoint. The person who knows the account verification method remains able to authorize a purchase.

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Child using an iPhone or iPad

Use Ask to Buy when a parent wants to evaluate requests individually. Use the Screen Time block when no purchases should be possible at all. In either case, keep the parent’s Apple Account credentials and Screen Time passcode away from the child.

Child using an Android phone or tablet

Put the child’s Google Account in the family group, configure Purchase approvals for Only in-app purchases, and confirm the equivalent Family Link control. Also enable purchase verification on the device where the child plays. Approvals and verification address different layers: one routes a child’s request to the parent, while the other adds authentication to the payment account.

One child playing on both platforms

Configure Apple and Google separately. A restriction on an iPhone does not follow the child’s game account to an Android tablet, and an Android approval rule does not govern an iPad. Then inspect the game’s own account page for web checkout, stored cards, or a separate purchase PIN.

Verify that the restriction works

  1. Confirm that the correct account is active in the App Store or Google Play before testing.
  2. Open the game and select a low-value item only to reach the payment confirmation screen; do not approve the transaction.
  3. On iPhone or iPad, check that the purchase is blocked by the Screen Time restriction.
  4. On Android, check that Google Play requests the configured verification or routes the child’s request for approval.
  5. If the game opens an external browser or names another billing provider, stop the test and configure a restriction with that provider.
  6. Close the game, sign out of unused platform accounts, and remove any test item from a cart or pending state.

Test again after a major operating-system update, a device reset, or a change to the family group. Updates can rename menus, and a reset can remove local restrictions even though the account itself remains unchanged.

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Troubleshoot purchases that still go through

The game bypasses the platform prompt

Inspect the checkout URL or provider name. A browser-based or alternative-billing checkout is outside the platform control, so use the game account’s payment settings, remove stored payment methods, and restrict the external account.

A child can approve their own request

Check which account is designated as the parent or family manager. Reconfigure the approval rule from that account, then verify that the child is not using an unsupervised second account. On shared devices, remove saved parent credentials and payment profiles that the child can select.

The restriction disappeared after a reset

Set Screen Time again on iPhone or iPad and recheck Google Play purchase verification on Android. A factory reset, new user profile, or account change can create a separate local configuration. Protect the parent account before handing the device back.

A legitimate purchase is blocked

Temporarily review the restriction with the account owner rather than sharing a passcode. On Apple devices, switch from a blanket block to Ask to Buy if supervised purchases are appropriate. On Android, adjust the family approval rule or complete the required verification from the authorized account. Restore the stricter setting after the approved transaction.

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Practical safeguards beyond the platform switch

  • Do not save a payment card in a game account used by a child.
  • Use separate adult and child platform accounts instead of sharing one login.
  • Review platform purchase history and bank or card alerts for unfamiliar charges.
  • Explain that virtual currency, cosmetic items, randomised rewards, and time-limited offers still cost real money.
  • Set a household rule for approval, such as requiring the parent to confirm the item, price, and recurrence before any request is accepted.
  • After changing a restriction, test the exact game and account combination that the player uses; a setting on a different profile is not evidence that this checkout is controlled.

The reliable boundary is simple: block or approve the platform’s own billing path, then separately secure any game or payment service that operates outside it. That two-part check is necessary for live-service games that offer both in-app and web-based ways to spend.

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AndroidGoogle PlayIn-app purchasesiPadiPhonelive-service gamesparental controlsScreen Time

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