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iPhone & iPad: Fix “In-app purchases are not allowed” Message

Mitch BartlettOctober 3, 2018 Comments (20)

If you get hit with a message on your Apple iPhone or iPad that says “Purchase – In-app purchases are not allowed”  when trying to buy purchases from within apps, it may be related to a restriction setting on the device.

  1. From the Home screen, swipe over to the screen with the “Settings” icon, then select it.
  2. In iOS12 and higher choose “Screen Time” > “Content Privacy & Restrictions” > “Content Privacy“. In iOS 11 and lower, choose “General” > “Restrictions“.
  3. Type your restriction password. If you don’t remember setting a password, ask anybody else who may have had access to the device.
  4. Scroll down to the “In App Purchases” or “iTunes & App Store Purchases” option and ensure it is turned “On/Allow“.
    iOS In app purchases option

Note: Some apps may have their own purchase settings under “Settings”.

Categories: iPhone

Author Mitch Bartlett

Through my career that spans over 20 years I have become an expert in Microsoft Systems Administration, Android, and macOS. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful knowledgebase for everyone.

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Comments

  1. Jeremy says:
    September 1, 2022 at 10:20 pm

    Nothing works. This is very frustrating.

  2. Jo says:
    May 12, 2022 at 10:21 am

    I have spent hours trying to fix this but nothing works. Frustrating is not a big enough word for this! I cannot figure out why apple has not fixed this with all of these complaints

  3. Vin says:
    January 31, 2021 at 7:15 am

    Guess it’s the first bug to get us to buy new iPhones :/

  4. Sylvie Doreen Francoeur says:
    January 29, 2021 at 9:55 am

    I do not want to purchase Netflix as I already am a member. I simply want to use it on my Ipad as wekk as on my televisions.

  5. Nicole says:
    October 3, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    I used this fix (above) and it worked immediately. Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > clicked to toggle ON for Content & Privacy Restrictions which allowed in app purchase. For me, the default was ‘allow’ once you hit toggle to ‘on’. If that doesn’t work for you continue on to > ITunes and App Store Purchases > In-App Purchase > Allow

  6. Cheryl P. says:
    September 30, 2020 at 1:10 am

    I am having the same problem as others. “in-app purchase is not supported.” I just started having this problem tonight, since the update to OS 14.0.1 downloaded last night.

  7. Brian says:
    August 26, 2020 at 6:51 am

    Very simple. IPad Pro will not you download Kindle books. I use an Huawei tablet which does not have these restrictions. and screen quality is just as good as IPad Pro. It also plays some YouTube full screen when Apple does not.

  8. Judy in Tx. says:
    August 2, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    Just lets me know many others are just as frustrated and baffled. Still no fix. Did Amazon or Apple restrict this for more fees?

  9. Leslie says:
    May 20, 2020 at 3:04 am

    I’m having the same issue. No matter what I try it still says “in app purchases aren’t allowed.” It’s become extremely frustrating.

  10. Pamela says:
    May 14, 2020 at 6:26 am

    No. I have the same problem as Claudia. This iPad simply will not allow in app purchases. Why? Is there a glitch in the programming?

  11. John Eglet says:
    January 20, 2020 at 10:35 am

    I understand that content purchases through an app on an Apple device would incur a fee to be paid to Apple. This is why the Amazon app, for example, says something like “this app does not support purchasing” for such as Kindle books.
    So, the answer is to ensure you have the Apple device listed on your Amazon account, and then use the Safari browser to access your Amazon account on the web to purchase the Kindle book to then be available through your Kindle app.
    I *think* that works, but not yet tried it… I imagine the same applied to Google content – actually, any non-Apple content too

  12. Jenxster says:
    January 10, 2020 at 2:46 am

    This does not help at all. I have downloaded a Kindle material for years u til recently. I followed all the directions to the letter but still get the same message.

  13. BeeJay says:
    November 3, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    Does not work on my newer iPad or iPhone 7. Cleared devices and reset everything, hard restarts, nothing works.

  14. Cody says:
    October 2, 2019 at 11:44 am

    I’m having the same problem. It tells me to enable it in my restriction settings but I already have and it keeps telling me the same thing.

  15. Christine says:
    July 1, 2019 at 1:34 am

    I’ve got the same problem as Claudia. It’s been a week and I still can’t find out what’s wrong. Some games stay on processing or loading. Other games have the circle going round and round. Any help out there please?

  16. Amy says:
    May 9, 2019 at 8:33 pm

    Same issue as those before me and no one has responded…..please help!!! In app purchases not allowed yet all set to “allow” and nothing under app in settings.

  17. Malcolm Hacklin says:
    May 4, 2019 at 7:28 am

    I m trying to cast Google movies from my iphone 6 but when i select the movie it says in-app not supported on this device. I have checked and my in-app purchases are set to Allow?????

  18. Claudia says:
    March 15, 2019 at 1:41 pm

    Everything in settings etc. etc. is set to go but every time I wish to make a game in app purchase all I get is a circle going round and round. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to settings, restrictions, checked in with Apple etc. etc. and I’m still not able to make any purchases whether it’s for June’s Journey or Pearl’s peril. Very frustrating!

  19. Jon says:
    January 30, 2019 at 5:21 pm

    I m trying to cast Google movies from my iphone 6 but when i select the movie it says in-app not supported on this device. I have checked and my in-app purchases are set to Allow?????

  20. Sergio Balacco says:
    January 14, 2019 at 11:17 pm

    Thanks. Great help!

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My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

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Last Updated on October 3, 2018 by Mitch Bartlett