When you want to download a free app, entering a password can feel a bit redundant. It also sometimes feels a bit excessive to have to enter a password with every new app download. You can disable password entry when downloading free apps, and on Apple TV you can even disable the password when downloading paid apps. These tips show you how to adjust the password settings for downloads from the App Store.
- Why disable?
- iPhone and iPad
- Mac
- Apple TV 4 and newer
- Apple TV 3 and earlier
Why disable password entry for apps?
Why would you disable entering your password? That depends somewhat on your situation and the device you use. For free apps, it doesn’t do much harm to disable the password. After all, someone must be able to break into your device before you can even download an app. Even if you have a very complicated password, it can be a bit inconvenient to enter it again and again. On the iPhone and iPad it is a lot easier via Touch ID or Face ID, but on an Apple TV it is a bit more cumbersome. It can also be a bit inconvenient on a Mac without Touch ID.
Moreover, you probably only use an Apple TV or Mac yourself. If you do not have to worry about your children or guests making purchases on the Apple TV, for example, you can easily disable the password.
You can also disable password entry if you often have guests and don’t want to enter the password in front of everyone. Guests can watch the TV screen while you enter the password. You could possibly use your iPad or iPhone, but you need to have it at hand.
Disable passwords on iPad and iPad
Although you can use Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone and iPad when you want to buy an app, you can also make app downloads faster by turning off the password. You can indicate that you want to download free apps, without having to enter a password every time. It is not possible to completely disable password entry for paid downloads.
- On iPhone and iPad, go to the Settings app and tap your name at the top.
- Press Media & Purchases. Then choose Password settings.
- Under When purchasing, select Require after 15 minutes and turn off the slider under Free downloads.
Disable passwords for Mac App Store downloads
On the Mac you do have the option to disable passwords for both paid and free apps. To adjust the password settings:
- Go to Settings > Apple ID.
- Click Media & Purchases.
- If your Mac has Touch ID, you can only change the settings if you disable Touch ID for purchases. Then choose the setting you want for both free and paid downloads.
Disable passwords on Apple TV 4 and newer
You can disable the requirement to enter a password when downloading free apps on the iPhone and iPad. On the Apple TV it is even possible to disable passwords for paid downloads of apps.
Follow these steps and disable password entry.
- On your Apple TV, open Settings and go to Users and Accounts.
- If you have set up multiple users, now select the user under the Default user heading.
- Then scroll down to the heading Require password.
- Then press Purchases and choose the Never option. You can also choose Always or After 15 minutes.
You will be asked to enter your Apple ID password and then everything is set up. Don’t you want paid apps to be able to be installed just like that? Then you can also set the Free downloads option to No, so that you can only download free apps without needing a password.
Disable passwords on Apple TV 3 and earlier
You can also disable password entry on the second and third generation Apple TV, although this works slightly differently.
- Go to Settings > iTunes Store > Sign In.
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- You will now be offered to remember the password. If you choose Yes, you can now make purchases without re-entering your password, as long as you are logged in with the correct Apple ID. If you say No, you will have to enter your password every time you want to buy a movie, TV series or music album. You cannot install apps on these older versions of the Apple TV.
More tips about the Apple Store? Then these articles are interesting for you.
- Recognizing an App Store scam: this way you don’t fall for expensive app subscriptions
- How to Use Multiple App Store Accounts on iPhone and iPad
- For beginners: this is how you install apps on iPhone and iPad
