A Complete Guide on How To Enable In-app Purchases On Android (7min)

If you are an Android user and regularly use the games and apps from Google Play, you must know what is an in-app purchase. This feature enables you to unlock any advanced game options or premium features on apps while you use the game or app. For example, you might need a sword at a special point of the game and you have to buy that sword by to proceed on using that. It is an in-app purchase feature that lets you buy any game weapon or get special advantages instantly.

You might wonder about how to enable in-app purchases on Android. But, note that in-app purchases are not something you need to set up. It is generally enabled by default in all Android devices and there is no way to turn it off. What you can do is to enable and disable the in-app purchase authentication process.

In this article, we are going to share how to enable and disable in-app purchase authentication along with many effective tips regarding in-app purchases. Keep reading.

Table of Contents

What Is In-app Purchase Authentication?

Before understanding how to enable an in-app purchase authentication requirement, let’s dive a little deeper to know what is in-app purchase authentication and how it works.

Your Android device usually comes with in-app authentication required for all in-app purchases you make. Generally, it is set by default for all in-app purchases. When you complete any in-app purchase, you need to provide the payment information in detail. It is asked every time you want to make a transaction.

However, there are two other options of authentication where you can set authentication for ‘every 30 minutes’ and ‘never’ requiring authentication mode. If somehow you or your child enable the ‘never’ require authentication mode, that’s risky for you. Because anyone can now complete any in-app purchases without entering any payment information.

If authentication is not set to ‘For all purchases on Google Play through this device’, you might lose your credit due to random buying using in-app purchases feature by your child who does not know that credit card does not mean free money or anyone (like an elderly person with no experience of Android randomly buying everything from the games and apps) who does not have an idea about this feature.

How to Enable In-app Purchase Authentication on Android?

So, if accidentally you or anyone from your family have disabled the in-app purchase authentication requirement, you can enable the authentication feature again manually from the Settings of your Android device. It will secure your device and prevent from making in-app purchases in Android. Let’s now see the steps you need to follow to enable in-app purchase authentication once it is disabled:

1.Open the Play Store app from your Android device.

2.From the top left corner, tap on the “Menu” button. This menu button looks like three equal lines put one above another.

3.From the menu of “My Apps and games”, tap on “Settings” located above the help and feedback option.

4.Once you tap on Settings, find the “Required Authentication for purchases” option.

5.Tap on the option and then choose “For all purchases through Google Play on this device” from the 3 available options. However, you can also select the “Every 30 Minutes” option if you like to go for a bunch of purchases one after another.

6.Enter the password and then tap on “OK”.

7.If your device supports fingerprint authentication, you can also enable this feature.

8.That’s all. You have successfully enabled in-app purchase authentication for all the purchases. None can now make any purchase without entering the payment information.

Now that you know how to restore in-app purchases authentication on Android, you should also know how to disable this feature. Let’s see how to disable in in-app purchase authentication.

How to Disable In-app Purchase Authentication on Android?

If you are the only user of your Android device and you do not want to input the payment information every time you make an in-app purchase, you can disable in-app purchase authentication. In this case, you do not require to provide payment information for all purchases. Here’s how to disable in-app purchase authentication settings from Google Play Store:

Open the Play Store app from your Android device.
Click on the Menu located at the top left corner that looks like three horizontal lines.
From the options of the menu, find “Settings” and tap on it.
Find “Require authentication for purchases” and tap to enter.
Choose “Never”.
Enter the password and tap on “OK”.
That’s all, now you can make in-app purchases without any payment authentication by a password.

So, that’s how to set up in-app purchases authentication on Android.

How To Fix In-app Purchase Error on Android?

If you see that in-app purchase is not working on Android or any issue is occurring related to in-app purchases, follow the steps one by one:

Check Your Connection: Check if your mobile data connection or Wi-Fi is working or active. Make sure that you have a strong and stable network available to get things done. To check if your internet is working, just Google anything or go to any URL. If your internet is working, then the connection is not an issue for you. However, if the Google search result page or the URL does not load, it means that there is a problem with the connection. Contact your Internet Service Provider to fix the problem.

Force Stop and Reopen: If you are not delivered with the item you have bought from in-app purchase, try to close the app or game and then restart to see if it works. Here’s how to do it:

Go to the “Settings” of your Android.
Tap on “Apps” or “Manage Applications” menu (as applicable for your device) to find a list of the apps.
Tap on the app in which you made an in-app purchase a moment ago.
Tap on “Force Stop”.
Reopen the app or game now. Check if you have received the item you are supposed to get.

Check the Payment: Checking if the payment process has gone right is important. If your payment is not processed properly, you will not get the item you are expecting to get by in-app purchases. Here’s how to check your payment status from the Play Store and the Browser:

1.Checking from the Play Store App:

Open Google Play Store from your Android smartphone or tablet.
Tap on Menu and then on Account.
Tap on “Purchase History” to review if your order is placed and paid.

2.Checking from the Web Browser:

Go to your Google Play account from your computer using any web browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
Now, scroll down to the purchase history and check the in-app purchase.

Restart Your Device: Like many other issues, restarting the device can also fix the error in the in-app purchases sometimes. Here’s how to restart your device:

Hold down the power button to get the restart or power off option on the screen.
Tap on Restart or Power Off (It might vary depending on your device)
Wait for the restart. It does not, long-press the power button to switch on your device manually.
Give some time to your device to get ready.
Re-open the game or app to see if your in-app purchase is delivered.

Update the Play Store App If Available: You should keep your Play Store app updated to make sure it works its best to deliver you the in-app purchase quicker along with other services. Here’s how to check for a newer update of your Play Store app:

Open Google Play Store app on your phone or tablet.
Tap on Menu and then on Settings.
Find the build number at the bottom of the Settings. Tap on it to see if it requires an update or it is the latest version available in the market for your device.
If your Google Play Store is not updated, it will update itself, or if it is the latest version that is installed on your device, you’ll also be notified about this.

Update the Date and Time If Incorrect: You have to make sure that your device is running with the correct date and time:

Open Settings from your Android phone or tablet.
Tap on Date & Time settings.
Find “Automatic date & time” and “Automatic time zone” and see if these are switched on or off.
If they’re turned off, turn both the settings on. Wait for a few minutes and see if your issue is fixed. If the problem persists, restart the device and check again.
On the other hand, if you find that both the “Automatic date & time” and “Automatic time zone” are switched on, it is not probably the issue that’s making the problem. In that case, check other options such as checking the connection and restarting the device.

Contact the App Developer: If your problem is not solved yet after checking all the steps mentioned above, then you can contact with the app or game developer for support. You can either give feedback or ask for help regarding the problem of your in-app purchase. Let’s see why contacting the app developer is a good idea:

You can get help for any issue regarding the app or game.
Learn how to use the app or game.
Make an in-app purchase for your account.
Talk about undelivered in-app purchases.
Get help for problems related to username and password usage.

Request for a Refund: Requesting for a refund is the last resort for you regarding in-app purchase error. You might need to provide the required information and claim a refund. Once your claim is reviewed and found to be true, you might get a refund.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is meant by in-app purchases?

Some games or apps let you use additional features, services, or content in exchange for payment within the app. This kind of purchase is usually called as an in-app purchase. Let’s see some of the in-app purchase examples:

Any weapon or sword to strengthen your ability in a game.
A key to unlock more features out of a free app.
Virtual currency for making any purchase.

To make sure that your in-app purchases are not done accidentally or by mistake, enable in-app purchase authentication following the steps mentioned above in the article.

How do you enable in-app purchases?

The in-app purchase feature is by default enabled on your Android. However, if you have changed it or it is changed by someone else, you can get back to in-app purchase authentication by enabling it once again. Follow the guideline given above to do that.

How can I use a promo code for an in-app purchase?

If you have got any promo code for using in any in-app purchase, you can redeem that code for that app or game. Here’s how to redeem your promotional code for in-app purchase:

Find the in-app purchase where you can use the promo code you have received.
Start the check out process.
Tap the down arrow located after the payment method.
Tap on “Redeem”.
Follow the instructions displayed on the screen to make the in-app purchase with the promo code.

How do I turn on in-app purchases on Android?

Follow the steps we have given above to enable or turn-on in-app purchase authentication if it is somehow disabled.

How can I enable Parental Controls on my Android so that my device is protected from my children?

Fortunately, Android has a good feature for keeping your device secure from your children and making any change in settings like in-app purchase authentication. By “Parental Controls” option enabled on your device, you can keep your device safe from children. Here’s how to enable Parental Controls on your Android device:

1.Open Play Store from on your Android device.

2.Tap on Menu from the left top corner.

3.Tap on Settings.

4.Choose “Parental Controls”.

5.Toggle it on to enable the parental control option.

6.Enter a PIN that only you know and can remember when required.

7.Confirm the PIN.

8.Choose the sections that can be viewed without using the PIN.

How do I know if an app offers in-app purchases?

You can know if an app or game offers in-app purchases before you download the app or game from Google Play Store. Here’s how to check if an app or game offers in-app purchases:

Go to the installation page of any game or app in the Google Play Store. Look if it comes with any “in-app purchase” tag near the install or price button.
Go to google.com/store and check if any game or app comes with “Offers in-app purchases”. If it does, that means this game or app involves in-app purchases that might cost you credit.

How do I enable in-app purchases on my Samsung Galaxy?

Like other Android devices, you can also enable in-app purchase authentication on your Samsung Galaxy devices, so that your children cannot make in-app purchases. Here’s how to do it:

Tap on Apps.
Open the Play Store app from the apps.
Tap on “Menu” located at the left top corner inside the Play Store app.
Now, tap on Settings.
Go below and enable require authentication “For all purchases through Google Play on this device”.
And that’s it. From now on, it will be required to use the password to make any in-app purchase from your device. If you do not know how to enable in-app purchases on Samsung galaxy s10, follow the same steps mentioned here.

However, note that the steps mentioned above are only applicable for paid apps. Anyone can install any free apps without any password.

Final Thoughts

So, by now you know how to enable in-app purchases authentication on Android and how to disable it. You also know how to set parental controls on your Android so that your device is protected from your children. And finally, you have got an idea about how to use promo code for in-app purchases and how to fix the errors related to in-app purchases. We hope that this guide has come to your help to let you know almost everything about in-app purchases and in-app purchase authentication.

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