How to block app downloads and new installs on iPhone
Use Screen Time Content & Privacy Restrictions to prevent future app downloads and installations. This does not block, hide, remove, or change access to apps already on the iPhone.
Quick path for App Store installs: Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. Turn restrictions on, open iTunes & App Store Purchases, then set Installing Apps to Don't Allow.
Where alternative app marketplaces or web distribution are available, Apple provides separate controls under App Installations & Purchases. Set App Marketplaces and Web to Don't Allow if those installation routes also need to be restricted.
This is a download restriction, not an app blocker. It prevents new installs. Use App Limits, Downtime, or a dedicated blocker to restrict apps already on the iPhone.
Block App Store downloads
1. Open Settings > Screen Time. Turn on Screen Time if it has not been set up yet.
2. Set a Screen Time passcode if someone else uses the iPhone. A passcode prevents changes to the restrictions. For a child, the family organiser should manage it.
3. Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions. Tap it in Screen Time, then enable the main switch.
4. Open iTunes & App Store Purchases. Tap Installing Apps, then choose Don't Allow.
5. Choose the other protections you actually need. In the same area, you can separately control deleting apps and in-app purchases. 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 eligible App Store download and purchase requests. On the family organizer's iPhone, go to Settings > Family > [child] > Ask to Buy, then turn on Require Purchase Approval.
Ask to Buy is an approval workflow, not a blanket installation restriction. Use Screen Time installation restrictions when no new apps should be installed at all. 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 Screen Time passcode if asked, and change Installing Apps to Allow.
If the goal is stopping yourself from reinstalling distracting apps, download restrictions may help, but they are not a substitute for access control. Fella blocks selected installed apps; it does not replace Apple’s App Store installation restrictions. Each blocking session includes one 5-minute emergency unlock for a genuine need.
Stop apps from being deleted, separately
Blocking installations doesn't stop someone from removing an app that's already there. In the same Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases screen, set Deleting Apps to Don't Allow. Touch-and-hold no longer offers Remove App for any installed app, which is useful for a shared or child device where the goal is a stable, predictable set of apps rather than just fewer new ones.
Deleting Apps, Installing Apps, and In-app Purchases are three independent switches. Set only the ones that match the actual problem—for example, a household that wants to stop new downloads but still needs the freedom to remove clutter should leave Deleting Apps on Allow.
Restrict by age rating instead of blocking everything
A full download block isn't always the right tool. Under Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions > Apps, choose an age rating ceiling—4+, 9+, 12+, or 17+. Apps rated above that level can no longer be downloaded, and existing apps above the limit are hidden rather than usable.
This is a lighter-touch option than Don't Allow for Installing Apps: it still permits new downloads, just within a defined content boundary, which suits a family device more than a full freeze.
Blocking app downloads FAQ
For App Store installs, open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases, then set Installing Apps to Don’t Allow. Where alternative distribution is available, separately open App Installations & Purchases and set App Marketplaces and Web 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 and restrict installations for a complete block. For an approval workflow instead, go to Settings > Family > [child] > Ask to Buy and turn on Require Purchase Approval.
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.
Yes. Set Deleting Apps to Don’t Allow in the same iTunes & App Store Purchases settings.
Yes. Set an age rating ceiling under Content Restrictions > Apps so only apps at or below that rating can be downloaded.
Yes. App Clips are governed by the same Content & Privacy Restrictions as full app installs.
