iOS · iPhone & iPad
Allow In-App Purchases on an iPhone
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
In Screen Time restrictions, set In-app Purchases to Allow for the authorized account. A passcode, family organizer, or administrator may control it.
Before you start
Confirm whether Screen Time, Family Sharing, Ask to Buy, an organization, or the App Store account is controlling purchases. Allowing in-app purchases removes one restriction but does not guarantee that a product is available or that payment will succeed.
Open Screen Time restrictions
Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter the Screen Time passcode if requested. Open the correct Screen Time profile and authenticate with its passcode; for a child, use the organizer's authorized controls.
Open purchase controls
Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases, then tap In-app Purchases. Set In-app Purchases to Allow only after reviewing other purchase requirements and the risk of accidental charges.
Allow and test a purchase
Choose Allow, then return to the app; ask the family organizer if the restriction is managed for a child account. Return to the app, verify the Apple Account and displayed product price, and approve only the intended purchase through Apple's system sheet.
Verify the result
Use a low-risk free flow or review the purchase control without completing an unnecessary payment. Confirm Ask to Buy, purchase authentication, and receipts still behave as the family expects.
Troubleshoot iPhone in-app purchase permission
If the setting is locked, ask the family organizer or administrator. If purchases remain unavailable, check payment method, region, age rating, app eligibility, and Apple service status; do not disable unrelated privacy controls. Keep purchase authentication enabled so allowing purchases does not turn every app prompt into an unintended charge.
Video walkthrough
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: iPhone & iPad.
Follow the linked first-party guidance if labels differ after a platform or app update.