How To Manage In-App Purchases in iTunes

By Tracey Dowdy

Every once in awhile you’ll hear a parent-horror story of a child who racked up a college-fund’s worth of charges in the app store before their unsuspecting parent had a chance to intervene.

Sometimes the child isn’t aware that the charges aren’t part of the game, other times they don’t think through the long term consequences of their choices.

A year ago, Mohamed Shugaa’s seven-year-old son racked up almost $6000 in charges upgrading the dinosaurs in his Jurassic World game. His father pleaded with iTunes and was eventually able to get the money back, but it was a tough lesson for both father and son.

The good news is, it’s a lot easier to prevent those charges than it is to get your money back through a dispute with the app store. Apple’s website states:

‘All iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch) have built-in parental controls that give parents and guardians the ability to restrict access to content.

‘Parental controls also give parents and guardians the option to turn off functionality such as purchasing from iTunes and the ability to turn off in-app purchases.

‘Our parents’ guide to iTunes details the steps adults can take to make sure younger players have access to the right content. The first thing we recommend is not to share your password.’

In other words, it’s up to you to ensure your child – or anyone else – can’t inadvertently rack up charges without your consent.

Off course the easiest way to avoid running in to trouble is to stick with apps that are free of in-app purchases, but there’s a better way. It’s as easy as talking about what in-app purchases mean, what to look for and making a few simple changes in your settings.

Start with a conversation. Don’t assume your child “knows better” than to rack up charges. Caution them to keep an eye out for words like “expand,” “upgrade” and “enhance” that really translate to “buy.”

Set boundaries. If you choose not to password protect your account, or if you choose to share the password with your child, make sure you’ve established clear boundaries about how much your child can spend and establish what the consequences will be if the rules are broken.

Restrict access. The easiest way to manage in-app purchases is to make it impossible. Go to Settings > General > Restrictions. Under Allow, choose Off for in-app purchases. Voila! No more surprises. Note: Restrictions requires a separate passcode to lock the settings. Use a different passcode than the one you use to unlock your phone.

Require a passcode for every purchase. iTunes offers users the option to require a password immediately or allow a 15-minute grace period for further purchases to be made. Make sure you’ve selected the option to require the passcode every time. A lot can happen in 15 minutes!

Use gift cards or an iTunes allowance. If you’ve determined your child is responsible enough, or if you simply want to teach them the value of a dollar, using iTunes gift cards or providing a monthly allowance through the app store is a great option. Go to Send iTunes Gifts > Learn More About Gifting > Set Up an Allowance.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Comments:

  1. Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this website.
    It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s hard to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness
    and visual appearance. I must say you’ve done a excellent job with this.
    Also, the blog loads super quick for me on Firefox.
    Excellent Blog!

  2. Nice blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?

    A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really
    make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your
    design. Bless you

  3. I was recommended this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether
    this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my difficulty.
    You’re wonderful! Thanks!

  4. Admiring the hard work you put into your blog
    and detailed information you offer. It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a
    while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed material. Wonderful read!
    I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS feeds
    to my Google account.

  5. I’m not sure exactly why but this weblog is loading incredibly
    slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end?

    I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.

  6. I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here
    regularly. I’m quite sure I will learn a lot of new stuff right here!
    Good luck for the next!

  7. I am extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as
    with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself?

    Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one nowadays.

  8. Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to
    safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing
    everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?

  9. First of all I want to say excellent blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.
    I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts before
    writing. I’ve had a tough time clearing my thoughts in getting my ideas out there.
    I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are lost
    simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or tips?

    Many thanks!

  10. fantastic post, very informative. I ponder why the opposite experts of this sector do not notice this.
    You must continue your writing. I’m sure, you’ve a great readers’ base already!

  11. What i do not understood is in reality how you’re now not actually a lot more neatly-liked than you
    may be now. You are very intelligent. You recognize thus
    considerably relating to this matter, made me in my
    view consider it from so many various angles. Its like men and women are not interested
    until it’s something to do with Woman gaga! Your individual stuffs excellent.
    At all times deal with it up!

  12. Japon analpornoindir By porno43 1 saat önce Hardcore Porno 2 İzlenme Paylaş Tweet on Twitter
    Share on Facebook Google+ Pinterest Hd indean sex video
    downlod adam kadının içine boşalıyo japon analpornoindir amatör köylü kız resimleri watch turkish porno
    free.

  13. Sen ablami sik ben cekeyim diyor hatun world free sex To start
    the video, please close the Ad eniste baldiz sert sikisi sik beni diyor.
    ben agzimla bosaltayim seni diyor hatun. bastir diyor hatun. Ben Dover and friends fuck and cum over Bev Cocks asshole.

    on numara hatun. Gwen blowjob Ben 10.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *