How to stop kids running up a huge bill on your smartphone or tablet
Not a week goes past without a story in the news about a child running up a huge bills because they’re purchasing add-ons for games and apps on a smartphone or tablet.
The good news is that, in a few simple steps, you can put a stop to in-app purchases or require a PIN to be entered before the purchase can be made.
Related StoryWhat you need to know about Parental ControlsiPhones and iPads
On an Apple iPhone or iPad, go to theiTunes & App Store section, which can be found under your name in Settings. Press Password Settings, and tap Always Require. It'll then ask you to put in your password to enable it. Be warned that if you select 15 minutes rather than Always Required, once the password has been entered it won’t be needed again for any further purchases made in the next 15 minutes.
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Android devices
If you’ve got a Android tablet or phone, open the Google Play store and choose Settings by pressing the Menu button in the top left-hand corner. Then select Require Authentication For Purchases, here you can choose to always require a password, to require a password every 30 minutes, or to never require one. Some Android apps will always ask you to enter a password anyway.
Related StoryBest budget phones for 2020Although Amazon Kindle tablets run Android, a slightly different process is required. You can turn off in-app purchases completely by heading to Settings in the Menu of the Amazon App store, then switch off in-app purchases. Alternatively you can request that you’re amazon password is required before an in-app purchase from the Settings Menu of the Amazon App store, select Parental Control, then enable parental controls.
GHI TIP: Make sure the PIN you select for in-app purchases is different to the one you use to access the device itself to ensure the children definitely can’t run up a massive bill.
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