Most of the apps for iOS are packed with lots of in-app purchases that add more features and functionality to the existing application. In one way in-app purchases are good since you get appropriate options to upgrade according to your need. On the other hand the way iOS is designed this can easily turn into a financial disaster for you. Whenever you tap on any additional upgrade you get a blue pop up window asking you to confirm that purchase. Once you press OK your Credit Card will be charged automatically without any option to revert or cancel the purchase. This is the sole reason I got into trouble with my in-app purchase settings and I want to save all of you from another accidental nightmare.
I was not even using my iPad. It was my 9 year old neighbor’s kid who didn’t even know how to use an iPad properly. He opened up Zynga Poker and tapped on the most expensive Chips purchase. I got the real shock when my smartphone popped up a message saying that I just made a payment of $100 to Zynga. I was shocked and in serious panic. Within a few minutes I realized what just happened and I couldn’t even scold or shout at the kid. It’s not his fault you know, it’s the way Apple handles everything since your credit card is already synced with the ID. Anyways, I am writing this post because there is a hidden feature in iOS that lets you stop all in-app purchases and prevent such a mishap.
Steps to Turn Off In-App Purchases
- Go to Settings > General> Restrictions
- If your Restrictions Panel is turned off you need to enable it. Tap the Enable Restrictions button on top and enter a 4 digit passcode (twice) that you can remember. Please keep this passcode at a safe place for future reference in case you forget.
- Scroll to the Allowed Content Section and find the In-App Purchases Slider. By default it should be set to ON.
- Tap the slider to turn it OFF and disable all in-app purchase on your device.
In case someone is naughty enough to try to reactivate the purchases they still need to enter the passcode to enter the restrictions area. I hope you find this tutorial useful. If you are having trouble understanding a particular step then please comment below. Make sure you back trace this process to enable in-app purchases in the future.
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