In-app purchases are charges that happen inside an app after you read it, and you can block them entirely or require a password before each one

An in-app purchase is money you spend within an app — not to read the app itself, but for things inside it. This might be extra lives in a game, a premium feature you unlock, a subscription, or digital currency you use to buy items. The charge goes to your phone bill or your payment method on file, which is why they can add up fast without you noticing.

You have three real options: turn them off completely, require a password or fingerprint before each purchase, or leave them on and monitor spending. Which one makes sense depends on who uses the device and how much you trust the default settings.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store, then set In-App Purchases to "Don't Allow".
  • On Android, open Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, select Settings > Apps and devices > Manage all apps, then turn off "Allow in-app purchases" in the Play Store settings.
  • You can also require a password or biometric (fingerprint or face) before each purchase instead of blocking them entirely.
  • If a child has access to the device, turning off in-app purchases is usually simpler than monitoring each one.

Disabling in-app purchases on iPhone and iPad

The setting lives inside Screen Time, Apple's parental control system. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions. You will need to enter your Screen Time passcode — not your regular Apple ID password. If you have never set one, you will create it now.

Once you are in Content & Privacy Restrictions, tap iTunes & App Store Purchases. You will see four options: Allow, Don't Allow, Require Password, and Always Require. Choose "Don't Allow" to block all in-app purchases. Choose "Require Password" to ask for your password each time someone tries to buy something inside an app. The "Always Require" option means the device will ask for a password even if you have already unlocked it in the last 15 minutes.

This setting applies to the whole device, not individual apps. If you want to block purchases only in certain apps, you will need to use a different approach: delete the app's access to your payment method, or use a separate user account on the device with no payment method attached.

Disabling in-app purchases on Android

Android devices do not have a single master switch for in-app purchases the way iPhones do. Instead, you control them through the Google Play Store app. Open Google Play Store, tap your profile icon in the top right corner, then tap Settings.

Look for "Apps and devices" or "Manage all apps" — the exact wording varies by Android version. Tap it, then find the Play Store app itself in the list. Open its settings and look for "Allow in-app purchases" or "In-app purchases". Toggle this off to block all purchases within apps.

If you want to require a password instead of blocking purchases entirely, go back to the main Play Store Settings menu and look for "Require authentication for purchases". Set this to "For all purchases through Google Play" or "Every 30 minutes" depending on your preference.

Requiring a password or fingerprint instead of blocking purchases

If you want to allow in-app purchases but make them harder to do by accident, you can require authentication — a password, fingerprint, or face scan — before each one. This is useful if you use the device yourself and want to prevent accidental charges, or if a teenager uses it and you want them to think twice before spending.

On iPhone, this is the "Require Password" option in the same Screen Time menu described above. On Android, it is the "Require authentication for purchases" setting in Google Play Store Settings. Both will ask for your password or biometric before the purchase goes through.

Keep in mind that a child who knows your password can still make purchases. If you are trying to prevent spending by a young child, turning off in-app purchases entirely is more reliable than requiring a password they might guess or watch you enter.

What happens when in-app purchases are blocked

When you block in-app purchases, the app will still work — you just cannot buy anything inside it. Some apps will show a message saying "In-app purchases are disabled" or will straightforward hide the purchase button. Free games might become harder to play without paying for extra lives or power-ups, but the app will not crash or delete itself.

If you change your mind later, you can turn purchases back on using the same settings menu. The change takes effect when ready.

Monitoring spending if you leave purchases on

If you decide to allow in-app purchases, you can still see what was bought and when. On iPhone, open the App Store app, tap your profile icon, then tap "Purchases". You will see a list of everything bought in the last 30 days, organized by app. On Android, open Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, then tap "Payments and subscriptions" > "Subscriptions" or "Manage purchases".

Both systems let you refund a purchase within a short window — usually 15 minutes on Android and up to 48 hours on iPhone, though the exact rules vary. If you see a charge you did not authorize, you can request a refund from within the app store itself before contacting customer support.

Setting up a separate account for a child

If a child uses the device, another option is to create a separate user account with no payment method attached. On iPhone, this means setting up a child account through Family Sharing, which lets you control what they can read and spend without blocking their access to the device. On Android, you can set up a restricted profile with no Google Play account, or use Google Family Link to manage a child's device remotely.

This approach takes more time to set up but gives you fine-grained control over what each person on the device can do. It is useful if multiple people share the device and you want different rules for each person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I block in-app purchases for just one app?

Not directly through settings. Your best option is to remove your payment method from that specific app (if the app allows it) or delete the app and reinstall it without signing in to your payment account. Some parental control apps let you block purchases in specific apps, but the built-in tools control all apps at once.

What if my child made an in-app purchase without permission?

You can request a refund through the app store within a short window — usually 15 minutes on Android and up to 48 hours on iPhone. Go to your purchase history, find the charge, and select "Report a Problem" or "Request Refund". Apple and Google will usually grant one refund per app per year without questions.

Do in-app purchases show up on my phone bill?

Only if you have set your phone bill as your payment method. Most people use a credit card or debit card instead, so the charge appears on that card's statement. You can change your payment method in your app store settings.

Will blocking in-app purchases affect free apps?

No. Free apps will still read and work normally. You just will not be able to buy anything inside them. Apps that require a paid read will still require payment to read in the first place — blocking in-app purchases does not affect that.

Can I turn off in-app purchases temporarily?

Yes. You can turn the setting off and back on whenever you want through the same menu. The change takes effect when ready, so you can block purchases before handing the device to a child and turn them back on when you take it back.