If Inquire to Buy isn't working

Acquire what to practise if you lot don't see your Ask to Purchase notifications, or if your child sees "Unable to Inquire Permission" later asking your family unit grouping organizer to make a buy.

If your Ask to Buy requests are missing

Mac showing a request from Madi and a request from Marisa, and iPhone shows the same notifications.

If you miss an Ask to Buy notification, you can discover the asking in Notification Center on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac. If you lot all the same don't see your Enquire to Buy requests, check which Apple ID you're signed in with, check your Family Sharing settings, and brand sure that you're on a supported device.

Open Notification Heart on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod bear upon

  • From the Lock Screen, swipe up from the eye of the screen.
  • From any other screen, swipe down from the center of the top of your screen.

Open Notification Center on your Mac

  • In macOS Big Sur or after, click the engagement in the upper right corner of your screen. Notifications bear witness up at the top of Notification Center.
  • In macOS Catalina or earlier, click the Notification Center icon in the upper right corner of your screen or swipe left with two fingers from the right edge of your trackpad. Then click Notifications at the meridian of Notification Centre.

If your child sees an "Unable to Ask Permission" message

After Ask to Purchase is turned on, and your child asks the organizer of your family group to approve a purchase, your child might see "Unable to Ask Permission. You can't ask permission, because yous take signed in with iCloud and iTunes accounts that are not associated with each other."

When you see this message, bank check which Apple ID you're signed in with, check your Family Sharing settings, and make sure that you lot're on a supported device.

Check the Apple ID that you lot're using for purchases

Make sure that you're signed in to the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple TV app, Apple Music app, or Apple tree Books using the same Apple ID that you selected for sharing content with your family. Learn how to utilise your own Apple tree ID for Family unit Sharing.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Become to Settings, tap your proper noun, and so tap Family Sharing.
  2. Tap your name.
  3. Make a note of the Apple ID that y'all're using.
  4. Go back to Settings.
  5. Tap your proper noun, tap Media & Purchases, then tap View Account.
  6. Make sure that you're using the aforementioned Apple tree ID.

On your Mac

  1. Cull Apple carte du jour  > System Preferences.
  2. Click Family unit Sharing, then click Details next to your proper name.
  3. Make a note of the Apple tree ID that y'all're using for family purchases.
  4. Open App Shop. Click your name, then click View Data.
  5. Make sure that you're using the same Apple ID.

On your Apple TV

  1. From the Domicile Screen, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > iCloud.
  2. Choose your proper noun. Make a note of the Apple ID.
  3. Click the carte push on the Apple Television remote to render to the Users and Accounts screen.
  4. Choose [your proper noun]'due south Account.
  5. Make sure that you're using the aforementioned Apple ID.

Review your Family Sharing settings

If you're the family organizer, you lot tin can become to your Settings or System Preferences to encounter if your family unit members' accounts have Ask to Buy turned on.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap your name, then tap Family Sharing.
  3. If you're the family organizer, make sure that Buy Sharing is turned on. And so you lot can tap a family fellow member'due south name to see if Ask to Purchase is turned on for their account.

On your Mac

  1. Choose Apple carte  > System Preferences.
  2. Click Family Sharing.
  3. If yous're the family organizer, click Purchase Sharing and make sure that Share My Purchases is turned on. Then click Family Sharing and click Details next to a family member'due south proper name to see if Ask to Buy is turned on for that person.

Make sure that you're using a supported device

You need iOS 8 or later on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, and OS X Yosemite or after your Mac to prepare or join a Family Sharing group. When you try to make a buy on an unsupported device, you lot'll still exist asked to asking permission. However, you won't get a notification when the family organizer approves or declines the request. If the family organizer makes the purchase and your content doesn't download automatically, you can tap the toll once again to download the item.

Learn more than

  • You tin can't buy iTunes Lucifer, iTunes Gifts, or Donations if Ask To Buy is turned on for your account.
  • If Ask to Purchase is turned on for your Apple ID, merely you're downloading content from a family member'due south by purchases, you won't come across an Ask to Purchase prompt. Likewise, if you redeem a product code, you lot won't see Ask to Buy prompts.

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