If Ask to Buy isn't working
Find out what to do if you can't see your Ask to Buy notifications, or if your child sees "Unable to Ask Permission" after asking your family group organiser to make a purchase.
Things to try first
Make sure both you and your child have updated to the latest iOS or iPadOS on your iPhone or iPad, and the latest macOS on your Mac.
If you’ve turned on Focus on your device, either turn it off so you can receive notifications, or check your Focus settings to make sure you can receive Time Sensitive notifications, such as Ask to Buy requests.
Try changing the name of your device, and check that you and your child’s devices have different names. To see and change the name of a device, go to Settings > General > About > Name.
Confirm that your child’s contact card is filled in correctly on their device, including their full name and Apple Account email address or phone number, so Ask to Buy notifications can be sent and received through Messages.
If your Ask to Buy requests are missing
If you miss an Ask to Buy notification, you can find the request in Messages on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac.
In iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 and earlier, and in macOS Monterey and earlier, you can find the request in Notification Centre on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Open Notification Centre on your iPhone or iPad
From the Lock Screen, swipe up from the middle of the screen.
From any other screen, swipe down from the centre of the top of your screen.
Open Notification Centre on your Mac
Click the date in the upper-right-hand corner of your screen or swipe left with two fingers from the right edge of your trackpad. Notifications are displayed at the top of Notification Centre.
If you still can’t see your Ask to Buy requests, check your Family Sharing settings, check which Apple Account you’ve signed in to and make sure you’re on a supported device.
If your child sees an "Unable to Ask Permission" message
After Ask to Buy has been turned on, and your child has asked the organiser of your family group to approve a purchase, your child may see “Unable to Ask Permission. You can’t ask permission because you have signed in with iCloud and iTunes accounts that are not associated with each other.”
When you see this message, check your Family Sharing settings, check which Apple Account you’ve signed in to and make sure you’re on a supported device.
Review your Family Sharing settings
If you're the family organiser, you can go to your Settings or System Preferences to see if your family members' accounts have Ask to Buy turned on.
On your iPhone or iPad
Go to Settings.
Tap Family. If you can't see Family, tap your name, then tap Family Sharing.
If you're the family organiser, make sure Purchase Sharing is turned on. Then tap a family member's name to see if Ask to Buy is turned on for their account.
On your Mac
Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
Click Family.
If you're the family organiser, click Purchase Sharing and make sure Share My Purchases is turned on.
Click a family member's name, then click Ask to Buy to see if it's turned on for that person.
In macOS Monterey or earlier:
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
Click Family Sharing.
If you're the family organiser, click Purchase Sharing and make sure Share My Purchases is turned on.
Click Family Sharing and click Details next to a family member's name to see if Ask to Buy is turned on for that person.
Check the Apple Account you’re using for purchases
Make sure you’ve signed in to the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple TV app, Apple Music app or Apple Books using the same Apple Account that you selected for sharing content with your family.
Find out how to use your own Apple Account for Family Sharing
On your iPhone or iPad
Go to Settings > Family.
Tap your name.
Make a note of which Apple Account email address or phone number is listed.
Tap Purchases.
Tap Apple Account for Purchases and make sure you’ve signed in to the same Apple Account that you use for Family Sharing. If not, tap Share using secondary Apple Account and enter the Apple Account credentials for that Apple Account.
In iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 or earlier:
Go to Settings, tap your name, then tap Family Sharing.
Tap your name.
Make a note of the Apple Account email address or phone number that you’re using.
Go back to Settings.
Tap your name, tap Media & Purchases, then tap View Account.
Make sure you’re using the same Apple Account email address or phone number.
On your Mac
Choose Apple Menu > System Settings, then click Family.
Click your name, then click Purchases.
Under Apple Account for Purchases, make a note of which Apple Account email address or phone number is listed.
Open the App Store.
Choose Store > Account.
Click Account Settings.
Make sure you’ve signed in with the same Apple Account email address or phone number that you use for Family Sharing.
In macOS Monterey or earlier:
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
Click Family Sharing, then click Details next to your name.
Make a note of the Apple Account email address or phone number that you’re using for family purchases.
Open App Store. Click your name, then click View Information.
Make sure you’re using the same Apple Account email address or phone number.
On your Apple TV
From the Home Screen, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > iCloud.
Choose your name. Make a note of the Apple Account email address or phone number.
Click the menu button on the Apple TV remote to return to the Users and Accounts screen.
Choose [your name]'s Account.
Make sure you’re using the same Apple Account email address or phone number.
Make sure you're using a supported device
You need iOS 8 or later on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and OS X Yosemite or later on your Mac to set up or join a Family Sharing group. When you try to make a purchase on an unsupported device, you’ll still be asked to request permission. However, you won't receive a notification when the family organiser approves or declines the request. If the family organiser makes the purchase and your content isn’t downloaded automatically, you can tap the price again to download the item.
If Ask to Buy is turned on for your account
You can't buy iTunes Match, iTunes Gifts or Donations.
If you download content from a family member's past purchases, you won't see an Ask to Buy prompt. Also, if you redeem a product code, you won't see Ask to Buy prompts.
