How To Avoid In-App Purchases on Apple Devices
By Tracey Dowdy
Back in 2013, Paula Marner thought her credit card had been compromised when $3,000 in unexpected charges suddenly appeared on her account. Her 7 year old twins had been playing Clash of Clans and while the game was free, unbeknownst to Marner, the game required in-app purchases. Her boys were frequently prompted to make purchases ranging in price from 99 cents all the way up to $99, so that’s what they did. “That kept coming up consistently and they kept tapping it, because it’s just tap purchase, tap purchase, tap purchase,” said Marner. Before she knew it, the boys had racked up significant charges.
Since then, the FTC has made changes so that it’s harder for children to buy apps and in-app purchases without the consent of parents. In fact, last year Apple Inc. consented to FTC demands and paid $32.5 million in restitution to affected customers.
Whether your kids don’t understand that they’re dealing with actual currency or whether they don’t understand the real world consequences, there are safeguards you can put in place to make sure there are no surprises when next month’s statement arrives.
Restrict their access: Go to: Settings>General> Restrictions. Under Allow, choose Off for in-app purchases. Remember: Restrictions requires a password to lock the settings. It’s not the same as the passcode to unlock your phone and don’t be tempted to use the same password. Above all, don’t tell your kids the password so they can’t bypass your restrictions.
Eliminate the 15 Minute Window: Newer versions of iTunes give users the choice of requiring a password every time there’s a purchase or allowing a 15 minute window after the password has been entered for an in-app purchase before requiring it again. Do yourself a favor, disable the grace period and require it immediately.
Free vs. Paid apps: There are a lot of great free apps available but sometimes it’s worth going for the paid version. Free apps often require in-app purchases to access certain features and it’s often cheaper in the long run to go for the paid version.
Don’t Add a Credit Card: I learned this trick back when my kids were still using my iTunes account. Instead of using a credit card for purchases, I used gift cards. There’s no risk of going over your spending limit: once your card is out of money, it’s over. Parents also have the option of setting up an allowance for their kids: Go to Send iTunes Gifts> Learn More About Gifting> Set Up an Allowance.
Set Clear Boundaries: It’s not enough to set restrictions in your phone’s settings. Have a conversation with your kids about whether or not you’ll pay for in-app purchases. Let them know there’s a limit to what you’ll spend or tell them it’s part of a monthly allowance.
If charges appear and you’re not sure if they’re from in-app purchases, it’s easy to figure out.
- In the iTunes store, click on your username.
- Click Account info – login if prompted
- Under Purchase History, click See All
- If the charge is from your most recent order it will be at the top of the screen. If it’s not there, click on Previous Purchases and click the arrow next to the date of the order you want to review.
- In the Type column, look for In-App Purchase.
If it turns out your child has made an unintentional or unauthorized in-app purchase, you can contact Apple support to request a refund.
Use this link for details on setting restrictions and Parental Controls on your Apple device.
Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Toronto, ON. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances and researches on subjects from family and education to pop culture and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.
What a stuff of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious experience
on the topic of unpredicted feelings.
Can I simply say what a relief to find someone that genuinely
understands what they are talking about on the web.
You actually know how to bring a problem to light and make it important.
More people must read this and understand this side of your story.
I can’t believe you’re not more popular because you surely have the gift.
My family members all the time say that I am killing my time here at net, except
I know I am getting experience everyday by reading
thes fastidious posts.
Obrigado por compartilhar um texto tão informativo . Enviei isto para
um colega que estava justamente necessitando dessa informação!!
E ele ficou muito feliz!! Então me permita agradecer…
Obrigado por gastar algum tempo falar sobre esse assunto aqui no seu web
site .
I am curious to find out what blog platform you happen to be utilizing?
I’m having some minor security problems with my latest website and I would
like to find something more risk-free. Do you have any recommendations?
It is in point of fact a nice and helpful piece of info.
I’m happy that you simply shared this useful
information with us. Please stay us up to date like this.
Thank you for sharing.
If you are going for best contents like myself, just visit this web page everyday since it
offers feature contents, thanks
Magnificent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too great.
I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are stating and the way in which you say it.
You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it sensible.
I cant wait to read far more from you. This is really
a terrific web site.
I constantly spent my half an hour to read this website’s content all the time along with a cup of
coffee.
Hi there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a wonderful job!
Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely
well written article. I will make sure to
bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post.
I will definitely return.
This is a really good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
Brief but very accurate info… Thanks for sharing this one.
A must read article!
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for situs
judi slot online terpercaya
I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This paragraph posted at this website is
actually nice.
With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright violation?
My blog has a lot of unique content I’ve either
created myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization. Do you know any techniques to help
stop content from being stolen? I’d truly appreciate it.
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Best wishes!
Where are your contact details though?
If you want to increase your know-how simply
keep visiting this site and be updated with the latest information posted here.
I’m gone to convey my little brother, that he should also go to see this website on regular
basis to obtain updated from hottest news update.
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something that I think I would never understand.
It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!
My brother recommended I would possibly like this web
site. He was totally right. This put up actually made my day.
You cann’t believe just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Very soon this site will be famous among all blogging people, due to it’s good articles
Sweet blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Thanks
Porna sikiş yutp, Rus Çift ifşa Genç Sevgililer
Sevişiyor, Sevgılı turk sex sıkıs, sütyenli kızlar sikişmesi, turk
porno indir com, turk sex üniversite.
When some one searches for his required thing,
so he/she desires to be available that in detail, therefore that thing is maintained over here.
Bakireyim sikme porn videos-05:02 1219 views.
say yes -23:24 1366 views. fuck me on the table-12:02 1088 views.
skinny teenie with hairy pussy takes big cock-10:16.
creating and selling medical education courses
best ways for doctors to make extra income earn money as a doctor without
seeing patients
freelance therapy opportunities