Gamers know all too well that in-app purchases are easy — and they can add up.
But those little gamers maybe don't appreciate what $100 means. Or a $1,000. Or $16,000. That's what a Connecticut woman discovered in the summer of 2020 when her gaming 6-year-old managed to spend five figures on the iPad version of Sega's 'Sonic Forces.'
The ensuing gnashing of teeth could have been avoided had the mom done one of two things.
The easiest day-to-day check on purchases is to simply check the email associated with the Apple sign-in. Apple will send an invoice every day showing the purchases.
The best way, however, is to simply restrict a child's ability to buy things.
The restrictions are found under settings on iPad. On a desktop Mac, go to preferences in both iTunes and App Store to require a password and set up restrictions.
On the iPad and iPhone: Go to Settings> Screen time > Content & Privacy
Once you set up your devices to require a password for purchases, make sure children don't know what the password is.
In Android, you can set the Google Play Store app to require a password for every purchase.
Google Play Store > Tap the three lines on the left side of the search bar > Settings > Select Require Authentication for Purchases > Select All Purchases.
