Purchase approval lets a child ask for an app or in-app purchase without learning the parent’s account password. Apple and Google both provide family controls for this, but the exact coverage depends on the child’s account, device, store, and how the purchase is billed.
Why a child should not know the parent password
A parent password can unlock much more than one app. It may authorize purchases, reveal account information, or change family settings. Do not send it by text, save it in a child’s notes, or say it aloud where it can be reused. The safer pattern is a child account inside a properly configured family group, with the parent approving individual requests.
Apple: use Ask to Buy
With Apple Family Sharing, Ask to Buy can require a child to request permission for eligible App Store downloads, purchases, and in-app purchases. The family organizer or designated parent or guardian receives a request and can review the item before approving or declining it.
- Confirm the child is using their own Apple Account in the family group.
- On the parent’s device, open the family settings and select the child.
- Turn on Ask to Buy or Require Purchase Approval where shown.
- When a request arrives, open it and review the app, price, age rating, and in-app purchase details.
- Approve only from the parent’s signed-in device.
Apple’s current controls can also combine age restrictions with app requests. Approval does not mean an app is permanently safe; updates, advertising, chat features, and privacy practices can change.
Google Play: choose the approval level
Google Play family settings can require approval for all content, paid content, in-app purchases, or another supported category. Parents managing a child through Family Link can adjust the setting under Google Play controls. Google notes that purchase approvals apply to purchases made through Google Play’s billing system, so they do not cover every payment made inside a website, game account, console, or third-party store.
- Open Family Link and select the child.
- Choose Controls → Google Play.
- Open purchase and download approvals.
- Select the approval level that fits the child’s age and the family’s rules.
- Review requests for the item, developer, price, subscription terms, and requested permissions.
Some Google approval flows can offer remote approval, while others may ask a parent to enter a password on the child’s device. If you must enter it, the parent should type it privately and should not let the device or browser save it.
Check subscriptions, not just the first price
A free download can still lead to a subscription or repeated in-app purchases. Before approving, look for a trial end date, renewal price, purchase frequency, cancellation path, and whether the child already has a similar app. Confirm which adult receives receipts and knows how to review purchase history.
Approval is only one layer
Purchase approval controls spending; it does not fully review privacy, chat, advertising, age suitability, or contact with strangers. Use the app-store page and the developer’s privacy information as a starting point, then test the app with the child. Our 10-minute app privacy check covers permissions, accounts, chat, reporting, and deletion.
Create a family rule before the request arrives
- No purchases or downloads outside the family approval system.
- The child explains what the app does and why they want it.
- The parent checks subscriptions and in-app purchases before approving.
- New chat or location features require another conversation.
- The family reviews unused apps and subscriptions together each month.
The goal is not to make every request a conflict. A clear routine gives children a way to ask and gives parents time to check the decision.
Test the setup
Use a low-risk free app to confirm that the request reaches the correct adult, the child cannot bypass the approval, and receipts go to the expected account. Recheck after replacing a phone, changing family organizers, or updating a child’s account. Settings can differ across phones, tablets, computers, consoles, and game stores.
Parental controls reduce risk but do not replace supervision or ongoing family conversations. If your household mixes Apple, Android, gaming, and streaming accounts, our parent resources explain the tradeoffs. For help checking the actual devices, review our family setup services.
