Helpful settings if you let children play on your iPhone/iPad/iTouch

As one of the resident nerds among my family and friends, one of the typical greetings I get from our children is "Can I play on your phone?" I'm a pushover, so I always say yes.  After a few unintended purchases, intended (but not by me) purchases, and deleted apps, I got wise and changed my settings.  Below is a list of a few settings you might find helpful if you frequently let little ones play on your phone, but not too intrusive for your everyday phone use.



Require Password for Each Purchase

Once your enter your password for the App Store, the default settings are to keep your password saved for fifteen minutes for convenience.  I let my nephew download free games from the app store, but I found that occasionally I would enter my password for a free game, and then find that the cached password has been (unintentionally) used to purchase a paid game or two, or an in-app purchase.  By changing the settings to not save the password, each purchase requires my approval, saving me the grief of unintended purchases as well as the worry that he's stumbled into apps he shouldn't be downloading.

To require a password for each purchase, we need to enable "Restrictions" on the device. Open the Settings app and click on "General" settings and then "Restrictions". If restrictions are already on, you will need to enter your existing pin -- if not, tap "Enable Restrictions" at the top of the screen and enter a pin you will remember.

With Restrictions on, you will see a listing of device features that you can enable and disable access to.  We're interested in the entry under "Allowed Content" called "Require Password". Tap "Require Password" and change it from "15 Minutes" to "Immediately". Now your iTunes Store password will be required for each download and in-app purchase.

Disabling In-App Purchases

As a developer, I love in-app purchases because it allows our company to offer free software and still present ways to expand the software and earn revenue. As a friend of small children who tend to press buttons to see what they do, it's just another opportunity for me to have to say no a lot when they keep triggering the purchase. In the "Restrictions" settings again, if you turn off "In-App Purchases" directly above "Require Password", a triggered in-app purchase will present a dialog saying that purchases are disabled. I've noticed that a dialog box with some text is quite boring to little ones, and they move on quickly.

Note:  I feel the need to point out that I support in-app purchases. I make a point to enable purchases myself, buy something within the apps that I or the kids like, and then disable them again. Keeping in-app purchases disabled normally is a great way to protect against predatory purchase scenarios though.

Preventing App Deletion

Thankfully, I don't have any stories about my apps getting accidentally deleted, and I would like to keep it that way. The final restriction that we are going to use is the "Deleting Apps" under the "Allow:" listing. Turn it off, and the usual tap-and-hold behavior on the home screen only allows you to rearrange the app icons.

Find the Settings Right For You

I highly encourage you to take a look at the restrictions list and find what works for you.  You may also like to disable Explicit Language for Siri, or prevent multi-player games through the Game Center.  Obviously, it all depends on the level of supervision, the level of trust, and your own personal preferences.

One note:  In the current version of iOS (5.0), disabling FaceTime also disables iMessages.  You probably don't want that unintended functionality :)

I love being the ambassador of technology for children -- I love it even more now that I feel like I am a responsible ambassador. We color, we feed fish, we draw in the sand -- sometimes we even make cotton candy or fight monsters. "Playing computer" is what made me love technology and become a Computer Scientist; I only hope I can do the same for some of them.

Do you have any stories about introducing little ones to your iPhone/iPad/iTouch? Perhaps you would like to suggest a setting that you find helpful? We welcome your comments and would love to hear about your technology adventures!