How to Disable In-App Purchases on Android (Stop Unwanted Charges).
Learn how to disable in-app purchases on your Android device to prevent accidental or unwanted charges. If you want to stop apps from making purchases or make it harder to approve popups by mistake, I’ll show you the steps.
I’m using a Sony Xperia 1 V with Android 15, but these steps work on Samsung, Google Pixel, and most other Android devices.
The Problem with Easy Purchases
Many Android devices use fingerprint or face recognition for purchases. This is convenient, but it also makes it very easy to approve a payment by accident. You might touch the sensor while unlocking your phone and suddenly buy something you didn’t want.
If you share your phone with kids, this is even more important. A child could accidentally buy game gems or subscription upgrades without meaning to.
How to Make In-App Purchases Harder (Not Impossible)
You can’t completely turn off in-app purchases on Android. But you can make them much harder to do by accident. Here’s how:
- Open the Google Play Store app
- Tap your profile picture in the top right corner
- Tap Settings
- Tap Purchase verification (may be called “Authentication” on some versions)
- Turn off Biometric verification (fingerprint or face recognition)
- Set verification to Always
Now, every time someone tries to make an in-app purchase, they have to enter your full Google account password. Not your phone PIN or pattern – your actual Google password.
Why This Works
With biometrics ON (default):
- You touch the fingerprint sensor
- Purchase goes through instantly
- Easy to do by accident
With biometrics OFF:
- You must type your full Google password
- Much harder to do by mistake
- If you don’t remember your password, even better – no purchases at all
Important Things to Know
This doesn’t turn off in-app purchases completely
You’re not disabling the feature. You’re just adding a password requirement. If someone knows your Google password, they can still make purchases.
This is about your Google account password
Not your phone’s unlock pattern, PIN, or fingerprint. The password you use to log into Gmail, YouTube, and the Play Store.
If you forget your password
You won’t be able to make any purchases at all. That’s good for stopping unwanted charges, but bad if you actually want to buy something. Keep your password somewhere safe.
What About Parental Controls?
If you share your phone with kids, this password method is good. But parental controls give you even more options:
- Set up a Google Family account
- Require approval for all purchases
- Get notifications when someone tries to buy something
Parental controls are in the Google Play Store under Settings > Parental controls.
Step-by-Step Summary
- Open Google Play Store
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap Settings
- Tap Purchase verification
- Turn off Biometric verification
- Set verification to Always
- Exit settings
Now in-app purchases will ask for your Google password every time.
Will This Stop Subscriptions?
This setting affects one-time in-app purchases and subscription sign-ups. But it won’t cancel existing subscriptions. To cancel a subscription you’re already paying for:
- Open Google Play Store
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap Payments & subscriptions
- Tap Subscriptions
- Select the subscription and cancel it
What This Doesn’t Do
- Doesn’t block free apps or downloads
- Doesn’t cancel existing subscriptions
- Doesn’t work for purchases outside Google Play (like Amazon Appstore)
- Won’t stop purchases if someone knows your Google password
Final Tips
- Turning off biometrics makes purchases harder – that’s the goal
- Keep your Google password safe but not too easy to guess
- If you forget your password, you can reset it through Google
- For kids’ phones, set up a Google Family account for even more control
- Always check your Play Store purchase history for unexpected charges
If you have questions about managing app purchases on your Android device, let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading.
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