How to enable Ask to Buy on iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Use Ask to Buy to require parental approval before a new app can be installed from the App Store on a child's iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer.
If you are a parent who wants to prevent new apps from being installed from the App Store on to your child's iPhone, iPad, or Mac without permission, Ask to Buy gives you a way to require parental approval before a new app can be installed. Enabling Ask to Buy can be confusing since it depends on the use of Apple Family before the option appears within Screen Time. In this guide, we'll walk you through the options you'll need to consider, including some common issues we've seen while helping parents set up a proper blocking system for their family.
What's the purpose of Ask to Buy?
Ask to Buy is Apple's way of allowing parents to block iPhone apps from being downloaded from the App Store until the app can be reviewed by a parent.
This is often a better alternative to disabling the App Store entirely , which could prevent app updates and is often too restrictive for families with a higher degree of trust.
Ask to Buy is a feature included in Apple Family Sharing, which can be used to remotely manage Screen Time setting's for a child who is part of your Apple Family. The Ask to Buy option only appears in Screen Time once the device is part of Apple Family on a device with an Apple account age that is less than 18.
How to get access to Ask to Buy
The Ask To Buy option is set within Screen Time for devices that are part of an Apple Family Sharing group.
On a parent's own device, they can access Apple Family, select their child from the list, manage that child's screen time settings, then toggle on Require Purchase Approval under Ask to Buy.
The Ask to Buy screen on a parent's Apple device looks like this:
It's important to note that Ask to Buy also works for free apps, even though you wouldn't consider that to be a purchase.
In this case, consider using a parental monitoring app for iPhone to monitor the apps being added to the device.
Enable Ask to Buy
Apple Family sharing allows you to remotely manage a child's Screen Time settings from a parent's Apple device. Ask to Buy can be toggled on when using this managed Screen Time approach.
When Apple Family Sharing is used on a device, the iPhone's settings app will show the family section at the top like this:
If you aren't sure how to do this, you can reference our guide on setting up parental controls on a child's iPhone , which will show you how to set up Apple Family properly.
Once your child is added to Apple family, you can now do the following to turn on ask to buy:
Now, when your child attempts to download an app, you'll get a text message or push notification asking to grant the request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ask to Buy work on Mac for applications downloaded outside of the App Store?
No, Ask to Buy on Mac only works for App Store downloads. On iPhone and iPad, the App Store is the primary way that apps are added to the device. However, the App Store is less commonly used on the Mac to install applications. Users will more often download software directly from a website using a web browser like Safari or Chrome. As a result, Ask to Buy is not an effective way to restrict app downloads on Mac.
Where can I find my child's approval requests for Ask to Buy?
When your child visits the App Store, they'll still see an option to Get a new app:
However, when they actually tap on this option, the App Store will ask them to confirm that they'd like to send a request to you for approval to continue downloading the app.
You will get this notification in the Messages app, and you'll see a preview for the app your child has requested.
Why am I not getting my child's app approval requests on my iPhone?
First, on your own iPhone, ensure that Do Not Disturb is turned off, and check your notification settings. If you still don't see the notification, check the Messages app on your own iPhone for a new message with an approval request.
From my own testing, some requests are delayed (by as much as 15 minutes when iOS 26 was first released). The solution might be as simple as waiting or having your child resend the request.
But there is a situation where Ask to Buy legitimately does not work, and it has to do with whether the app has already been downloaded before.
For example, before an app is approved, this is what the app looks like on the App Store for your child (it will have the Get button instead of the Cloud icon):
However, if your child has downloaded the app before, they'll see cloud download icon like this:
Once an app is downloaded, it's considered purchased or bought. This applies to both paid apps and free ones too.
If your child has already downloaded the app, Ask to Buy will no longer work for that app. Consider removing the App Store from your child's iPhone instead or using a iPhone monitoring app like LivingRoom to review screenshots of your child's activity on the device.