How to Turn Off Ask Permission to Download Apps on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

To stop the “Ask Permission” prompt when a child downloads apps, the Family Sharing organizer or a parent/guardian turns off Ask to Buy from their own device. On iPhone or iPad with iOS 27 or iPadOS 27, go to Settings > Family > [child’s name] > Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Ask to Buy and turn off Require Purchase Approval. The child can’t turn it off from their own iPhone, and in some states and countries it can’t be turned off at all for anyone under 18.

This guide covers iPhone and iPad (iOS 27 and iPadOS 27) and Mac (macOS 27), based on Apple’s support pages published in September 2026. It also covers the other settings that can make an iPhone ask before every download: Screen Time app restrictions and App Store password settings.

Contents

• What “Ask Permission” means on iPhone
• Who can turn off Ask to Buy
• Turn off Ask to Buy on iPhone or iPad
• Turn off Ask to Buy on Mac
• If downloads still need approval
• If you’re asked for a password, not a parent’s approval
• Troubleshooting
• Frequently asked questions

What “Ask Permission” means on iPhone

Ask to Buy is a Family Sharing feature. Family Sharing links up to six Apple Accounts so a family can share purchases and subscriptions, and lets parents manage a child’s settings. When Ask to Buy is on for a child, the child sees an Ask Permission message when they try to get an app, even a free one.

According to Apple, a request is sent when the child tries to:

• Download an app from the App Store
• Buy an in-app purchase
• Redownload an app that another family member shared

The request appears as a notification and in Messages on the parent’s iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. If the parent approves, the item downloads to the child’s device. Apple says a child doesn’t need approval to install an update or to redownload something they bought themselves.

Apple turns Ask to Buy on by default for children under 13. A parent can also turn it on for older children who are under 18.

Who can turn off Ask to Buy

Only two kinds of adults can change this setting:

• The Family Sharing organizer, the adult who set up the family group.
• A parent/guardian, another adult the organizer has given that role.

They must make the change on their own device, signed in to their own Apple Account. The child can’t remove the requirement from the child’s iPhone.

Age and location rules. Apple says that, depending on the child’s state, country, or region, Ask to Buy is on by default and can’t be turned off for a child under 18. In that case the toggle won’t turn off, or it won’t appear. One example Apple gives: in Texas, Ask to Buy and some Screen Time features are on and can’t be turned off for under-18 accounts created on or after June 4, 2026, even by parents.

If you’re the person seeing Ask Permission on your own iPhone, ask the family organizer to follow the steps below. If you’re an adult and still get Ask Permission, see the troubleshooting section.

Turn off Ask to Buy on iPhone or iPad

These steps are for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 with the updated Screen Time parental controls. Apple says every device in the family group must be on these versions for the new controls, and an organizer or parent/guardian must update the family’s parental controls. Families that can’t update every device can keep using the previous version of Screen Time.

1. On your own iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
2. Tap Family. It’s near the top, under your name. You’ll see a list of family members.
3. Tap your child’s name. Their settings screen opens.
4. Tap Apps & Websites. If you’re asked, enter the Screen Time passcode. This is the passcode set for parental controls, not the child’s device passcode.
5. Tap Restrictions.
6. Tap Ask to Buy.
7. Turn off Require Purchase Approval. The switch turns gray.

From now on, the child can download apps and make purchases without sending you a request. Paid items still charge the family’s payment method if Purchase Sharing is on, so consider whether you want that before turning approval off.

To turn approval back on later, repeat the steps and turn Require Purchase Approval on.

On older versions. If your family still uses the previous version of Screen Time, the menus may not match the steps above. On earlier versions, Ask to Buy was usually reached from Settings > Family > [child’s name] > Ask to Buy. Look for the Require Purchase Approval switch there.

Turn off Ask to Buy on Mac

Use this method on a Mac signed in to the organizer’s or a parent/guardian’s Apple Account. These steps follow Apple’s current instructions for macOS 27.

1. Choose the Apple menu in the top-left corner, then click System Settings.
2. Click Family in the sidebar.
3. Click your child’s name.
4. Click Apps & Websites, then click Restrictions.
5. Click Ask to Buy.
6. Turn off Require Purchase Approval.

The change applies to the child’s Apple Account, so it affects all of the child’s devices, not just one.

If downloads still need approval

Ask to Buy isn’t the only parental control that can block apps. If the child still can’t download freely, check these Screen Time settings on your device.

Check the App Store install setting

Apple’s parental controls include an Installing Apps setting that can block the child from installing apps at all.

1. Open Settings, tap Family, then tap your child’s name.
2. Tap Apps & Websites. Enter the Screen Time passcode if asked.
3. Tap App Store.
4. Tap Installing Apps and choose Allowed.

Check age-rating restrictions

If you set a maximum age rating for apps, the child sees a message that content restrictions are on when they try to get an app rated above that limit. They can send you an app exception request, which arrives in Messages. You can approve it from the notification, or in person on the child’s device by tapping approve in person and signing in with your Apple Account.

To change the age limit itself:

1. Open Settings, tap Family, then tap your child’s name.
2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. Enter the Screen Time passcode if asked.
3. Under Content Restrictions, choose a content type, then pick a different age rating or Allow All.

Review blocked apps

In Screen Time, Apple keeps Allowed and Blocked lists under Settings > Family > [child’s name] > Apps & Websites. A blocked app stays on the Home Screen but appears dimmed, and the child can’t open it. Select it and unblock it if you want the child to use it again.

If you’re asked for a password, not a parent’s approval

If you’re an adult using your own iPhone and the App Store asks for your Apple Account password before a free download, that isn’t Ask to Buy. It’s a password setting.

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap Media & Purchases.
3. Tap Password Settings.
4. Under Free Downloads, turn off Require Password.

Apple notes two limits:

• You can’t completely turn off password protection for paid items on iPhone, iPad, or a computer.
• If Password Settings is missing, Face ID or Touch ID is turned on for purchases. With Face ID or Touch ID on, you confirm every download that way, even free ones. To use the password settings instead, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode) and turn off the switch for iTunes & App Store.

Confirming a download with a double-click and Face ID is a security step, not Ask to Buy.

Troubleshooting

The Require Purchase Approval switch won’t turn off. The child is probably in a state, country, or region where Apple keeps Ask to Buy on until age 18. Apple says that in these places, Ask to Buy is on by default and can’t be turned off while the child is under 18.

You don’t see Family in Settings. You aren’t in a Family Sharing group on this device, or you’re signed in with a different Apple Account. Check the account at the top of Settings.

You don’t see your child’s Apps & Websites options. Only the organizer or a parent/guardian can change them. The organizer can make another adult a parent/guardian at Settings > Family > [name] > Parent/Guardian > Set as Parent/Guardian.

The child sees “Unable to Ask Permission.” Apple says this can happen when the child is signed in to iCloud and the App Store with Apple Accounts that aren’t linked to each other. Make sure the child is signed in with their own Child Account everywhere.

Requests never reach you. Apple’s checklist: update all devices, make sure your Apple Account email works with iMessage, use iMessage at least once in the last 30 days, turn on notifications for Messages, sync iCloud contacts, and add yourself to the child’s contacts. If a Focus is on, allow time-sensitive notifications.

A request expired. Requests that aren’t approved within 24 hours expire. The child needs to send a new one.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child turn off Ask to Buy on their own iPhone?

No. Only the Family Sharing organizer or a parent/guardian can change it, from their own device. Screen Time parental controls are designed so the child can’t change them.

Can I turn off Ask to Buy for myself if I’m over 18?

Ask to Buy is meant for children under 18. If you’re an adult and still see Ask Permission, check that the birth date on your Apple Account is correct and that you’re signed in with your own account. If your account is still set up as a child’s account, contact the family organizer or Apple Support.

Does turning off Ask to Buy remove all parental controls?

No. It only removes purchase and download approval. Screen Time limits, content restrictions, and app blocks stay in place until you change them separately.

Will turning off Ask to Buy let my child spend money?

It can. With approval off, a child can buy paid apps and in-app purchases, and with Purchase Sharing on they’re charged to the organizer’s payment method. To block in-app purchases separately, Apple’s Screen Time settings have an In-app Purchases option under Apps & Websites > App Store that you can set to Blocked.

What happens to apps I already approved?

They stay on the child’s device. Apple notes that, depending on your location, you may need to approve an app again if it adds a significant change such as a higher age rating or a new feature.

Can another parent approve requests?

Yes. Requests go to the organizer and every parent/guardian in the group, and only one adult needs to respond.

Next step

If you’d rather keep some control after turning off Ask to Buy, set daily limits instead. Our guide on how to set Screen Time on iPhone explains the basics, and you can protect those settings with a Screen Time passcode. For Apple’s full reference, see Approve what your child can purchase and download with Ask to Buy and Set up parental controls to manage your child’s iPhone or iPad.