Purchase approvals on Google Play

If you’re the family manager in the family group, you can choose purchase approval settings for any member of your family. If you're a parent in the family group, you can choose the purchase-approval settings for family members whose accounts are managed with Family Link.

1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to play.google.com.
2. At the top right, tap your profile picture or Initial.
3. Tap Family Family group.
4. In the 'Family group' section, tap a family member's name.
5. Tap Purchase approvals.
6. Select the type of purchase approval that you want to give:
   • All content
   • All purchases using the family payment method
   • Only in-app purchases
   • No approval required

If you're a parent in a family group, you can approve or deny requests for content from Google Play.

When a purchase is completed through Google Play's billing system, the family manager gets an email receipt.

You can manage approvals for recommended apps that you download in Google Kids Space separately in the Google Kids Space settings.

1. When a family member makes a purchase using Google Play's billing system, they'll find a screen that asks for your password.
2. Review the request.
3. To approve it, enter your Google Account password on their device.
4. Tap Approve.

If parental approval for Play content is required for a child whose Google Account is managed with Family Link, they'll see a screen with two options when they try to download or access content:

Ask in a message

1. You'll get a notification on your phone.
2. Review the request. To see more details, tap the request or the name of the app.
3. Tap Approve request or Deny.

Ask now

1. You'll review the request on your child's device.
2. To approve it, enter your Google Account password on their device.
3. Tap Approve.

Family Link app

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open Family Link .
2. At the top right, tap Notifications .

Family members under 18 whose accounts are managed with Family Link need your approval to download any content, even if it's available at no charge. If a family member is over 18 and has a supervised Google Account, they can use the family payment method to buy movies and TV shows without your approval.

Tip: Previous downloads, updates and content shared through Family Library won't require your approval, even if that content was acquired before supervised members are added to your family.

Family members need your approval for all purchases made through Google Play's billing system using the family payment method, including paid apps or items sold inside apps. If a family member is over the age of 18 and has a supervised Google Account, they can still use the family payment method to buy films and TV shows without your approval.

This setting is unavailable for family members aged 18 or over whose accounts aren’t managed with Family Link.

Tip: If the option to turn on the 'All paid content' is greyed out for a family member under 18, get your family member to check that their account information, including their birth date, is correct.

Family members only need your approval to use the family payment method to buy in-app purchases through Google Play's billing system, like coins in games.

Family members won’t need approval to make purchases using the family payment method.

On their Android device, family members can withdraw their pending paid purchase requests from the Google Play order history tab.