How to Turn off In-App purchases in iOS 7

The App store is a great place to download new and useful apps for the iPhone. While many of these apps are free, some come with a catch known as In-app purchases.

An in-app purchase is an add-on to the app to enable certain features, or allow the user to unlock other things not available in the app to begin with. In-app purchases are not always just a problem in free apps, they also occur in paid versions of apps.

While Apple has taken some steps to make in-app purchases not as easy to accidentally buy, there is still a risk factor when children are using an iOS device. To eliminate the issue of in-app purchases racking up on your credit card, the best solution is to disable them entirely.

If you still wish to have in-app purchases enabled there are other steps to take instead of fully disabling in-app purchases. Read the post below to find out the best solution for in-app purchases for your iPhone.

How to Disable In-App purchases:

From the home screen Tap Settings.

Select General.

Scroll down and Tap Restrictions.

 

On the next screen select Enable Restrictions.

Enter a passcode. This is a passcode for the restrictions that you set on the following screen. Keep this passcode a secret so that others using your iPhone cannot change the restrictions set on the device.

Re-enter the passcode.

After setting your passcode the page with the restrictions options will be available. Scroll down and find In-App Purchases and turn the slider Off.

After disabling the slider for In-App purchases they will no longer be allowed on the iPhone. This is a good setting to enable for children, but may impede the user from buying certain content if they forget that they disabled it under restrictions.

To work around disabling in-app purchases another method is to set a passcode on the iPhone. Setting a passcode is not only a good idea to keep kids from buying items it also keeps text messages, emails and other private data on your phone safe. With phone theft a common problem, a passcode can at least be a level of security in the event your device ever becomes stolen.

To set a passcode or change how quickly the iPhone asks for it, go to Settings –> General –> Passcode Lock.

If you already have a passcode lock setup Enter your passcode.

Next, tap Require Passcode.

Select Immediately.

By requiring a passcode as soon as the phone locks, children and other people must have access to the code to use the iPhone. While in-app purchases may still occur with children under this method, the kids at least need your permission to use the phone before inadvertently purchasing in-app content.