Can’t change Media & Purchases password settings for free downloads

This thread has the easiest solution: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252006162

Old_Apple_Fan posted the workaround in the thread. It has to do with default font scaling of the iPad not displaying the options to change the password requirement settings. Strange bug that I'm guessing will be fixed in a future update.

"* For the unavailable “Require Password” buttons/checks, try first going into Settings\Accessibility and turning on Large Fonts with a big font choice (right side of slider). Go back to “Media and Purchases” and when you open the Password pop-up, you should be able to see the buttons/checks. Once the settings are corrected, you can return to Accessibility and change the fonts back to your typical settings."

Hello nh811,

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities. We understand that you're looking for an option to disable password protection for free downloads in the App Store. The options for password requirements in the App Store are discussed further in this article, Require a password for App Store and iTunes purchases.

Based on your screenshot, when you navigate here, you do not have any options to manipulate options under 'When Purchasing' and 'Free Downloads'. We have a few questions to help isolate the issue further.

-Do you have Touch ID or Face ID turned on for iTunes & App Store purchases? You can confirm under Settings > "Face ID and Passcode" or "Touch ID and Passcode".

-Which exact iOS version are you using under Settings > General > About? Did you only start noticing this lack of options after a recent change to your device or settings?

-Do you have Screen Time enabled on your device personally, or through Family Sharing?

Best regards.

My family is experiencing this same issue. It's happening on 2 recently upgraded 5th gen iPads and a brand new iPad 8th gen I just set up for a grandparent. All devices are running iPadOS 14.3 and none have "Touch ID" or "Face ID" enabled.

I tried enabling and disabling "Content & Privacy Restrictions" under "Screen Time" which did not make a difference.

Prior to 14.3 I was able to change the settings for all 3 options in the screenshot.

Looks like the same issue in this post as well

Cannot change Media & Purchases Passw… - Apple Community

Thanks!

This is still happening in 14.4

Thanks for the info!!!! This worked perfectly!