How to Block Purchases on Apple TV With Restrictions

To restrict purchases on an Apple TV device, open Settings > General > Restrictions, turn Restrictions on, and create a four-digit passcode. Then review the purchase, rental, and in-app purchase options. Choose Restrict to require the code, or Block where that choice is available for the activity you want to stop.

Turning Restrictions on is the starting point. You still need to choose which activities to restrict, check any permitted profile bypasses, and review the controls in individual streaming apps. A purchase restriction also does not cancel an existing subscription.

In this guide

• Check your Apple TV model and prepare the passcode.
• Set purchase restrictions through Settings or Control Center.
• Compare purchase passwords, Ask to Buy, and app controls.
• Check the result without completing a transaction.
• Fix missing controls, unexpected charges, or a forgotten code.
• Change the code or restore access later.

Check which Apple TV you are using

These instructions are for the Apple TV box connected to your television, with particular attention to Apple TV 4K and the current tvOS device settings. They are not the Screen Time instructions for an iPhone or iPad, or the Apple TV app settings on a smart TV, Windows PC, or Android device.

Apple's current guide opens to tvOS 27. Apple documents that version for Apple TV 4K, second and third generation. An older Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD may show different wording and run an earlier supported software version. In older account settings, for example, Users and Accounts appears where a newer guide says Profiles and Accounts.

The phrase “third-generation Apple TV” can also mean two different products: the Apple TV 4K introduced in 2022, or the older Apple TV introduced in 2012. Those devices should not be treated as interchangeable. Use Apple's model identification guide if you are unsure which box you own.

For a legacy device whose menu differs from the steps below, follow documentation for that model and its installed software. Do not try to force it to install tvOS 27 to obtain these controls.

Before you start

Have the remote available and make sure you can open Settings on the Apple TV. If Restrictions are already enabled, you need the existing restrictions passcode to change protected choices.

Choose a four-digit code that the people whose purchases you intend to limit do not know. Keep a secure record of it. Avoid using an obvious sequence or a code you routinely give to guests or children.

The restrictions code is separate from your Apple Account password, which authorizes account activity. It is also separate from a code used to enter an Apple TV app profile. Knowing which prompt is on the screen helps you enter the right credential and troubleshoot the right setting.

If the television is shared, consider who needs authorized access. A setting suitable for a guest room may differ from one for a family television where an adult occasionally rents a movie.

Set purchase restrictions in Settings

Apple's device parental controls guide verifies the Settings route, passcode requirement, and supported types of restrictions.

1. Open Settings on the Apple TV. Return to the Home screen and select the gear-shaped Settings app. Its position depends on your Home screen arrangement.
2. Choose General, then Restrictions. You should reach the device restrictions menu. If a code prompt appears, enter the existing restrictions code to continue.
3. Turn Restrictions on if necessary. Select the Restrictions control and follow the prompts to create a four-digit passcode. Enter it again when asked to verify it. Once the code is accepted, the other restriction options become available.
4. Find the purchase and rental control. Some menus label this Purchase and Rental, often under an iTunes Store heading. Select the available restrictive choice for that activity. Restrict means an authorization code is required; use a blocking choice only if your menu offers one and you want that activity unavailable.
5. Review In-App Purchases separately. This is the option for purchases made from within apps or games. Choose Block if that is the offered choice for disabling them, or follow the restriction choice your installed version provides. Do not assume changing the rental option automatically changes this row.
6. Review any allowed profiles or bypass choices. Apple's current guide lets certain listed profiles use their own device to bypass restrictions instead of entering the code. Choose Allow or Block for those profiles according to the access you intend to grant.
7. Read the resulting settings before leaving. Confirm Restrictions remains on, the relevant purchase rows show your intended choices, and no unintended bypass remains. Return to the Home screen when finished.

The exact choices vary with software, hardware, region, and activity. In particular, an older guide showing Restrict for a row and a newer example showing Block are not proof that every Apple TV offers both. Use the available control and distinguish a passcode requirement from an outright block.

What the restriction choices mean

Choice or control	What to expect
Allow	Leaves that supported activity available without a device restriction. Other account or app requirements may still apply.
Restrict	Requires the restrictions passcode for the protected activity or an authorized bypass where configured.
Block or No, where offered	Disables the specified activity rather than simply asking for the restrictions code.
Show or Hide, where offered	Changes availability or visibility for that particular feature. It is not a universal billing switch.
Allowed profile bypass	Lets a permitted profile use its own device to bypass restrictions. Review this independently of the purchase rows.

A useful example is a shared television where adults occasionally rent films, but children should not buy game upgrades. A passcode requirement for rentals can preserve adult access, while a separate blocking option for in-app purchases can limit game spending where supported. Check both rows rather than choosing one setting and assuming it covers everything.

Use the Control Center shortcut

On supported Apple TV software and remotes, you can reach Restrictions without navigating the Settings app:

1. Press and hold the TV button on the remote. Control Center should open on the television.
2. Select the Restrictions button. Apple identifies this as the Restrictions control; its layout can differ between software versions.
3. Enter the restrictions code if requested. Review or change the same device restriction choices described above.

If your remote or software does not show this shortcut, use Settings > General > Restrictions. The shortcut provides another route to the controls; it does not create a second, independent set of purchase restrictions.

Require an Apple Account password for purchases

A purchase password can provide another authorization check. It serves a different purpose from the four-digit device restriction and should be reviewed for the Apple Account used by the relevant profile.

On the newer interface documented in Apple's profile and account settings:

1. Open Settings, then Profiles and Accounts. Select the profile associated with the Apple Account whose purchase preferences you want to review.
2. Open Purchases. Review whether purchases require the password always, after 15 minutes, or never.
3. Choose the always-required preference if that matches your goal. This asks for the account password for purchases rather than leaving a 15-minute authorization window.
4. Review Free Downloads separately. Apple lists this as a separate password preference. A free download is not the same as a paid purchase.

On the older tvOS 18 interface, open Settings > Users and Accounts, select the user, and review Purchases and Free Downloads there. Keep that older path separate from the newer profile terminology.

Some account settings are available only for the default profile. A managed profile without its own Apple Account may not present the same purchase settings. If a control is missing, first check which profile and account you selected rather than assuming the password preference has been removed from every Apple TV.

Add parental approval with Ask to Buy

For an eligible child using their own Apple Account in Family Sharing, Ask to Buy lets an organizer or designated parent approve supported purchase and download requests. Sharing the adult's account with the child does not create this separate approval workflow.

Apple's current Ask to Buy instructions give this route on an iPhone or iPad:

1. Open Settings and choose Family. Select the child's name in your family group.
2. Open Apps & Websites, then Restrictions. Choose Ask to Buy.
3. Turn on Require Purchase Approval. The child should then request approval for eligible purchases rather than completing them directly.

Availability and default behavior depend on age and region. Ask to Buy has exceptions: updates, redownloading the child's own purchases, and redemption codes do not all generate the same approval request. Consult Apple's guide when deciding whether it covers a particular activity.

Treat this as an additional family-account control. You should still review the shared Apple TV's device settings and any app-specific purchase or content controls.

Check streaming apps and profile controls separately

Apple warns that device restrictions may not apply to apps downloaded from the App Store. For content outside the Apple TV app, look inside the individual app or in Settings > Apps, then select that app. A service may manage parental controls through its own account or profile settings.

That distinction matters for viewing as well as purchases. An app's age rating does not establish that every film or program inside it is suitable for that age. Setting a device app rating is not a substitute for reviewing the service's own viewing limits.

The Apple TV app also has profile controls. On the current documented device interface, Settings > Apps > TV > the profile > Restrictions lets you set movie and TV-show content restrictions, with Apple Account confirmation as required. The separate Require 4-Digit Code option protects entry to that profile and its viewing information; it is not the device purchase restriction described earlier.

On a smart TV or another platform running only the Apple TV app, the app's settings have their own purchase and content restrictions. Do not look for the Apple TV box's General menu on those products.

Verify the result without buying anything

First re-open Restrictions and read the choices you saved. This is the safest check because it does not involve a transaction. Review the profile bypass list and the account used for purchases as well.

If you also inspect a supported purchase flow, stop at the authorization requirement. Do not enter the approval credential or select a final Buy, Rent, Subscribe, or equivalent confirmation just to test the restriction. A completed transaction can charge the account.

Check the particular activity you intend to limit. Seeing a code requirement for a movie rental does not prove an unrelated game's upgrade is blocked, or that an outside service's billing is covered. Repeat the settings review on every Apple TV used by the household; checking one box does not verify another box's configuration.

These procedures are based on Apple's documentation. They are not a claim that every app, remote, or purchase screen has been physically tested.

Fix common problems

The controls are gray or unavailable

Enable Restrictions and finish creating and verifying the code first. Apple states that this activates the other options in the restrictions menu. If Restrictions are already on, enter the current code when asked before attempting to change a protected setting.

Also confirm you are in device Settings rather than the Apple TV app's profile settings. Similar-looking controls can have different scopes.

The labels do not match

Check the installed software and model, then select the matching version of Apple's guide. Older menus may retain iTunes wording, while newer account menus use profiles instead of users.

If your device supports an update, our Apple TV software update guide explains how to check for it. Keep power and the connection stable during installation. Updating cannot make unsupported legacy hardware acquire every current feature.

A child can still authorize a restricted activity

Check whether they know the restrictions code, have access to the purchase account's password, or are using a profile allowed to bypass restrictions with its own device. Then check the specific app's controls.

Change a shared restrictions code if necessary, and review every relevant purchase option again. Switching profiles alone should not be treated as proof that purchase access is restricted.

Charges continue after Restrictions is turned on

Identify whether the charge is a new purchase, a recurring subscription, or billing through another service. Apple explains that subscriptions renew until canceled. Enabling device restrictions does not itself cancel them.

Apple's account settings include Subscriptions for reviewing or changing supported subscriptions. An externally billed service may need to be managed through that provider. Avoid assuming one Apple TV switch controls every account or payment route.

You forgot the restrictions code

Ask the person who configured the Apple TV or check the secure record they kept. If neither is available, contact Apple for guidance for the exact model and software.

Do not assume iPhone Screen Time recovery instructions, an Apple TV app web PIN, or a profile-entry code will reset the device restriction. They are different controls.

Apple documents that a factory reset erases accounts and configuration. It is a consequential action, and the cited reset page does not establish a simple forgotten-restrictions-code recovery method. Seek model-specific guidance before erasing the box.

Change the code or restore access

To change the device restrictions passcode:

1. Open Settings > General > Restrictions. Enter the current code if requested.
2. Choose Change Passcode. Enter the current passcode when the change process asks for it.
3. Enter the new passcode and complete the onscreen prompts. Keep a secure record and check the purchase restrictions afterward.

To temporarily remove all device restrictions, open the same menu, enter the code, and set Restrictions to Off. This removes more than a single purchase limit, so consider who has access to the television before doing it.

Apple states that turning Restrictions back on restores the original restriction settings. Re-open the purchase rows afterward to confirm the intended limits. If you only want to permit one activity, changing that activity's setting may be more appropriate than disabling every restriction.

Frequently asked questions

Do purchase restrictions also block mature programs?

Purchase authorization and content ratings are separate controls. Review movie, TV-show, app, and explicit-content limits if needed. Choosing a ratings country does not by itself select the maximum rating for each category. Individual streaming services may need their own controls too. For Android phones and tablets in the same home, see how to require authentication for Google Play purchases.

Can I restrict AirPlay or multiplayer games here?

Apple also documents restrictions for Game Center activities and changes to AirPlay, TV Provider, or Location settings. Those can be useful on a shared television, but they do not replace the purchase and in-app purchase choices.

Is the Apple TV restriction the same as iPhone Screen Time?

No. The Apple TV device route is Settings > General > Restrictions. If you also manage a child's phone, see our guide to iPhone Content & Privacy Restrictions for that device's separate starting point.

Can I let adults rent movies while limiting children?

Use the available passcode requirement and carefully review authorized profile bypasses. Keep the code private and configure children's account or app controls as appropriate. A shared adult credential undermines the intended authorization check.

Start by checking both purchase rows and any allowed profiles on the Apple TV. Then review account authorization and the apps the household actually uses. Those checks establish which activities are limited and which still need their own controls.