iPhone (iOS) · Accounts & Family
Approve Purchases Before Family Members Download
Ask to Buy requires children in a Family Sharing group to send a purchase or download request that an organizer approves or declines from their own device before it completes.
How to open Ask to Buy
- Open Settings → tap your name → Family Sharing
- Select the family member's name
- Toggle Ask to Buy on
- Respond to approval notifications as they arrive
- Review Purchase History periodically under the App Store account settings
What you should know
- Applies to App Store, Apple Books, and Music purchases and downloads, including free apps
- Requests appear as a notification the organizer can approve or decline instantly
- Automatically enabled for Child accounts and optional for teen accounts
- Approval history is visible for reviewing what's been purchased or downloaded
Why it matters
Ask to Buy closes the gap between giving a child a capable device and losing control over what gets installed or purchased on it. Even free app downloads get routed through approval, which matters for age-appropriate content control, not just spending. For families, it turns purchasing into a quick conversation rather than a surprise credit card charge or an unsuitable app showing up on a child's Home Screen.
Best practices
- Keep notifications enabled on the organizer's device so requests aren't missed for long
- Use the approval prompt to check content ratings before approving
- Review purchase history periodically for spending patterns
- Turn off Ask to Buy gradually as teens demonstrate responsible purchasing habits
Common problems and fixes
- Approval requests aren't arriving
- Confirm the organizer's notifications for the App Store are enabled and the child is correctly in the family group
- A free app still requires approval
- This is expected—Ask to Buy applies to all downloads, not just paid purchases
- Can't turn off Ask to Buy for a teen
- Family Sharing settings allow the organizer to disable it once the member is old enough per account settings
Tips and tricks
- Use Screen Time's App Store content restrictions alongside Ask to Buy for age-based filtering
- Check the family purchase history together to model healthy spending decisions
Frequently asked questions
Does Ask to Buy work for in-app purchases?
It covers App Store, Books, and Music purchases; in-app purchase behavior may also be governed by Screen Time content restrictions.
Can more than one parent approve requests?
Yes, any parent/guardian role in the family group can receive and respond to requests.
What happens if a request is ignored?
It remains pending until approved or declined; the child can send a reminder.
Related settings
- Family SharingFamily Sharing lets up to six people share App Store and iTunes purchases, an Apple Music or Apple One subscription, iCloud+ storage, and a shared photo album — plus parental controls for kids' accounts.
- Screen Time & FamilyScreen Time shows how you (or your family) use your devices and lets you set app limits, downtime schedules, and content restrictions — especially useful when set up through Family Sharing for a child's device.
- App Store SettingsApp Store settings control automatic app updates and downloads, whether purchases require a password or Face ID confirmation, and content restrictions that limit which apps and in-app purchases are accessible.
More Accounts & Family guides for iPhone (iOS)
- Apple ID & iCloudThe account panel at the top of Settings is where your Apple ID lives on iPhone — your name, phone numbers, email addresses, and every iCloud service (Photos, Backup, Drive, Mail, and more) that's currently syncing to your account.
- Sign-In & SecuritySign-In & Security is where you change your Apple ID password, view your two-factor authentication trusted phone numbers, and manage which devices are trusted to approve sign-ins.
- Mail, Contacts, Calendars AccountsThis Accounts list is where you add Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or other third-party accounts so their mail, contacts, and calendars sync into the built-in Mail, Contacts, and Calendar apps alongside iCloud.
- App Limits & DowntimeApp Limits and Downtime, part of Screen Time, let you cap daily time spent in app categories and schedule periods when only phone calls and allowed apps remain available.
- Apple Cash & Family PaymentsApple Cash Family lets an organizer set up Apple Cash for a family member under 18, issue a virtual or physical debit card, fund their balance, and monitor or limit their transactions.
- Calendar AccountsCalendar account settings let you add and sync calendars from iCloud, Google, Exchange, Yahoo, and other CalDAV services, choosing which calendars are visible and how invitations are handled by default.