The Apple iPhone has features that are hard to replicate on any device. These features are exclusive to iOS devices. One such feature is Ask to Buy. If you’re on an Apple Family Plan, you may have experienced “Ask to Buy”notifications.
In addition, the Ask to Buy feature is specifically designed for children under 13 years of age. If this is added to your family plan, whenever a child wants to buy something, the purchase is sent to the family administrator’s device as a purchase request. Now, if you confirm this request, the amount will be debited from your card and the purchase will be completed.
However, if you decline the request, the purchase will be cancelled. However, the child can request it again. But what happens when you don’t even get those Ask to Buy notifications? Well, this is what users are currently experiencing as purchase notifications are not working. Here is our guide to help you fix it.
What are purchase notifications?
Suppose you have a child added at home, and when he or she asks to buy something online, you will receive a notification. You can accept or decline the request depending on your choice.
If you approve, the child will be able to buy the item, but if you refuse, the purchase will be canceled and your child may feel upset about the overall decision. However, the problem is that the parents cannot see the requests because the notifications are not being received.
As a result, if you do not want your child to be dissatisfied, you need to make sure that he orders his favorite products. But if you don’t receive purchase request notifications, you can read this guide instead to resolve the issue.
Ways to ask to buy notifications that don’t work on iPhone, iPad, MacOS
If you are facing an issue where the Ask to Buy notification is not working, please read this carefully and you will figure it out. Also, steps are synonymous with iPhone and iOS devices.
Fix 1: Restart your device
Probably the oldest technical solution to any problem is to reboot the device. In this situation, too, everything is not so. Gently restart your phone and check if the Ask to Buy notification has started working.
Also, don’t restart it in the traditional way. Instead, turn it off, wait a few minutes, and then turn it back on to turn it off completely. If this doesn’t solve your problem, move on to the next fix.
Fix 2: Compatibility Issues
If your child is using a fairly old iOS device, Ask to Buy may not be supported on that device. In this case, you need to check if the device your child is using is running iOS 10 or higher. If not, you need to purchase a new device or decide that you won’t receive any notifications.
Fix 3: Check Apple ID
If the Apple ID used on the Family Sharing device and your device are different, you won’t see the Ask to Buy notification. What’s more, your child will also see the “Unable to request permission” error.
So make sure all devices in your home are signed in with the same Apple ID and linked to iCloud to create a complete family experience and plan.
In addition, problems can arise even from within iTunes. Make sure iTunes is synced with iCloud and your Apple ID so that purchase request notifications can work seamlessly.
Fix 4: Make sure Ask to Buy is enabled
If your child is under 13, Ask to Buy is enabled by default. However, we have seen several cases where it was disabled but not enabled later. If you are not sure if it is enabled or not, here are the steps to follow to enable it:
- Open settings.
- Click “Family”.
- Now click on your child’s name and click “Ask to buy”.
- Click “Enable Purchase Request”if it’s not enabled.
That’s all. Now, whenever that person or your child makes a purchase request, you’ll get a notification.
Fix 5: Make sure the content is supported
If you’re still experiencing the issue, your child may be trying to make a purchase from an Apple-approved location. It is also possible that content with a buy request is not supported.
Let’s say your child is trying to make a purchase on eBay instead of Amazon; you won’t get an “Ask to Buy”notification because it’s not supported. Since Amazon is partnering with Apple on Ask to Buy, it will make sure to let you know.
What’s more, some schools are currently creating an Apple ID for their children. So if your child is trying to make an informed purchase, you won’t get a notification because it’s completely out of scope.
Fix 6: Reset Buy Request
If none of the above fixes have worked so far, then it’s in your best interest to reset the Ask to Buy option. Resetting is always known for fixing issues that are otherwise hard to fix so easily. If you don’t know, follow these steps to reset Ask to Buy:
- Open settings.
- Click “Family”.
- Now click on your child’s name.
- Then click “Ask to Buy”.
- Now set Require Purchase Approval to Off.
- Reboot your phone.
- Go to the same location and enable “Require proof of purchase”.
That’s all. You should now start getting a request to buy notification every time your child asks to buy something.
bottom line
Well, that’s all we have on how you can fix notifications not working on your iPhone or iPad if you ask to buy notifications. We hope this guide has helped you. If you still have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below.