Block App Downloads
Stop new app installations
on an iPhone.
Use Screen Time to prevent downloads, deletion, and in-app purchases—or require approval before a child installs anything.
Quick path: Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. Turn restrictions on, open iTunes & App Store Purchases or App Installations & Purchases, then set Installing Apps to Don't Allow.
Menu wording varies by iOS version and region. In the EU and Japan, review separate controls for alternative app marketplaces and installations from the web.
Block App Store installations
1. Turn on Screen Time. Go to Settings > Screen Time and enable App & Website Activity if needed.
2. Lock the settings. Create a Screen Time passcode that the restricted user does not know.
3. Enable Content & Privacy Restrictions. Open the purchase or installation section.
4. Set Installing Apps to Don't Allow. You can separately prevent deleting apps and in-app purchases.
The App Store may disappear or installation actions may be unavailable while the restriction is active. Existing apps and their data remain installed.
Use Ask to Buy instead of a complete block
For a child in Family Sharing, Ask to Buy lets a parent or guardian review download and purchase requests. This is better when approved educational, school, travel, or communication apps still need to be installed.
Manage the child's Screen Time from the family organizer's device. Do not share the Screen Time passcode. Also set age ratings under App Store, Media, Web & Games if content suitability is part of the goal.
Download controls are parental and purchase safeguards. They do not limit time inside apps already installed; use App Limits or Downtime for that.
Alternative marketplaces and web installs
Where alternative distribution is available, restricting the App Store alone may not close every installation route. In Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > App Installations & Purchases, set App Marketplaces and Web to Don't Allow when those options appear.
Review unrated-app and age-rating settings separately. Restrictions on App Store in-app purchases may not cover purchases made through alternative distribution or external websites.
How to allow downloads again
Return to the same Screen Time purchase settings, enter the passcode, and change Installing Apps to Allow. If the App Store does not return, restart the iPhone and confirm Allowed Apps & Features and regional marketplace settings.
If the goal is stopping yourself from reinstalling distracting apps, have a trusted person hold the Screen Time passcode. Fella blocks selected installed apps but does not replace Apple's App Store installation controls.
Blocking app downloads FAQ
Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, turn restrictions on, open iTunes & App Store Purchases or App Installations & Purchases, then set Installing Apps to Don’t Allow.
Yes. Installation restrictions and automatic updates are separate settings. Existing apps can continue updating while new installations are disallowed.
Manage the child’s Screen Time through Family Sharing, restrict installations, and use Ask to Buy when you want approval rather than a complete ban.
Yes. In the same Screen Time purchase settings, set In-app Purchases to Don’t Allow or require a password for purchases.
In regions that support alternative distribution, app marketplaces and web installations have separate Screen Time controls. Set those routes to Don’t Allow as well.
Also see App Limits, hidden apps, and the guide to blocking apps without deleting them.