You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

💡 Did you know?

⏺ If you can't accept iCloud Terms and Conditions... Learn more >

⏺ If you don't see your iCloud notes in the Notes app... Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Can I disable "ask to buy" for free apps?

At first I was happy to get the ask to buy feature - I thought it would get rid of the stupid sign-in-sign-out process (my son uses an Apple ID with no payment option to install free apps and then I switch to my Apple ID whenever he needed a paid app).

But Ask to buy requires permission for every "purchase" - even free ones! I don't get it. I have age restrictions set up to manage appropriateness (is that a word?) but I want to protect my wallet .

We enabled family sharing, but disbaled it again after less that a day. The kid was getting angry having to ask permission for each free trial game install and I was getting tired of having to approve all the time.

If there is a way to disable the approval process for free apps I would love to hear about it!

iPhone 5C, iOS 8

Posted on Sep 21, 2014 11:57 PM

Top-ranking reply

LACAllen

Level 8

43,500 points

Posted on May 25, 2017 8:41 AM

Simply changing the slider options to "Ask to buy - Paid Apps" (on/off) and "Ask to buy - Free Apps" (on/off) would solve this problem. Why can't this be implemented?

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

View in context

26 replies

ssschmidt

Level 5

5,450 points

Sep 21, 2014 11:58 PM in response to tomfromlyngby

There is currently no option to allow free apps to bypass the Ask to Buy feature.

www.apple.com/feedback

jdfr03

Level 1

8 points

Jan 2, 2016 2:51 PM in response to tomfromlyngby

The only applications that don't need ask for permission are the ones on the Cloud. Just download the app then delete it. Then your kid should be able to download it without trouble.

Sep 1, 2016 4:59 PM in response to lanstrad1

The Ask to Buy feature is a way to control what apps your kids are downloading. It's a parental control feature.

LACAllen

Level 8

43,500 points

Oct 15, 2016 9:49 AM in response to CorvinTheOne

Ask to buy is about awareness.

Feedback goes here >>> Product Feedback - Apple

breker1

Level 1

4 points

Nov 5, 2016 5:09 AM in response to tomfromlyngby

I have the same question. It is really strange that you can't allow your kids to install free apps. I think the answer by Apple that this is simply not possible is not satisfactory

breker1

Level 1

4 points

Nov 5, 2016 5:10 AM in response to LACAllen

I think the option should be there, and then it should be up to the parents to decide what to activate

dejayc

Level 1

9 points

May 13, 2017 6:33 AM in response to tomfromlyngby

The product people at Apple aren't smart enough to figure out how to implement a feature like that. RIP, Steve Jobs.

May 13, 2017 7:18 AM in response to dejayc

You mean you just joined ASC to post a snarky remark in a thread created 3 years ago?

Jun 23, 2017 2:28 AM in response to tomfromlyngby

Apple is all about taking your money and telling only one way how things should work for all those different people in the world.

Jun 23, 2017 5:08 AM in response to Kristaps_r

You just joined this forum to criticize a post made 3 years ago? Don't you have a life?

Jul 13, 2017 2:03 PM in response to acutum

Thank you! I really appreciate this.

Can I disable "ask to buy" for free apps?