When I got to the Genius Bar, the place was packed, so it didn’t surprise me too much that they would need to keep it overnight after all. I recently picked up a new Mac, and when I turned it on for the first time it asked me to create an Administrator account and enter a password.
One of the new settings in iOS 8.3 is the option to not require a password for the “purchase” of free apps in the App Store. This means even with a passcode set you don’t have to bother with a password in iTunes for updates or free apps, only if it will actually cost you money. This is another convenience of the App Store that makes it easier to use, once you turn it on. Here’s how:
First, if you have Touch ID enabled, none of the settings will show up at all, so first you have to go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode to disable Touch ID. Don’t worry though, it’s only temporary. Once Touch ID is off, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store > Password Settings (it’s right under your Apple ID) and you’ll see a new section on that page called Free Downloads. If you haven't walked through these steps already, the option is likely green (for on) but also faded since you don't have access to change it.
New password settings in iOS 8.3. Why can't you change them?
There’s a toggle there that says “Require Password” and the text below it points out what the setting does. If you have it on, it says your free downloads will use the same password restrictions as purchases and In-App purchases (usually that means a password is required). If you turn that off, it says you won’t be asked for your password when you are downloading a free item.
Accessing the new password switch in iOS 8.3. Not grayed out! Ah, much better.
Now that you can see this option, you can go back to your Touch ID settings and re-enable it. You just have to have it disabled in order to get those settings to appear. After you turn Touch ID back on you can still go back and adjust the free app setting however you like.
It took some working through to determine how to get the setting to even appear, and if you have a “work phone” or there’s another reason your phone has a profile on it that allows it to be managed remotely, there’s a chance you won’t be able to change this setting at all. If you walk through those steps and it turns out you don’t get to change that setting, a security profile is a good reason why that could be the case.
You have two password options to choose from with paid and in-app purchases:
- Always Require:When you make a purchase, you'll always be asked to enter your password, even if you're signed in with your Apple ID.
- Require After 15 Minutes: When you make a purchase, you'll be asked to enter your password only every 15 minutes.
You can turn off password protection for free items on your iOS device or computer if you don't want to enter your password when downloading free songs or apps, but you can't completely turn off password protection for paid items.
On Apple TV, you can turn off password protection for both free and paid items.
About Touch ID and Face ID password preferences
If you turned on Touch ID or Face ID for iTunes Store purchases, you won't be prompted to set your password preference.
Touch ID or Face ID will always override whatever preference you set. If you have either turned on, you're prompted to authenticate every download. If you try to manually set your preference while Touch ID or Face ID is turned on, you'll see a message saying that Touch ID or Face ID are enabled for All Purchases.
If you turn off Touch ID or Face ID, the next time that you make a purchase, you'll be asked to set your password preference.
Learn more about using Touch ID and using Face ID.
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Tap Settings > [your name] > iTunes & App Store.
- Tap Password Settings. If you have Touch ID or Face ID turned on for purchases, you won't see this menu.
- Under Purchases and In-App Purchases, tap the setting that you want.
- Under Free Downloads, tap Require Password to turn the setting on or off.
- When asked, enter your password. Then tap OK.
On your Mac or PC in iTunes
- Open iTunes. Make sure that you have the latest version.
- Mac: From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen, choose iTunes > Preferences.
Windows: From the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, choose Edit > Preferences. - Click the Store tab.
- From the menus under Purchases or Free Downloads, select your preferred level of protection. If you have Touch ID turned on for purchases, you won't see this menu.
- When asked, enter your password. Then click OK.
- Click OK again to save your preferences.
On your Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD
- From the Home screen, select Settings > Accounts > iTunes and App Store > Password Settings.
- Select Require Password.
- Select your preferred level of protection.
- After you select your preferred level of protection, select Require Password under Free Downloads to turn the setting on or off. If you set Require Password to Never in step 3, there won't be an option to turn the setting on.
On your Apple TV (2nd or 3rd generation)
- From the Home screen, select Settings > iTunes Store > Sign In.
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- After you click Submit, you'll see a screen that says 'Remember Password?' Select your preferred level of protection:
- Choose Yes if you want the Apple TV to remember your password for purchases as long as you're signed in with your Apple ID.
- Choose No if you want to enter your password each time that you make a purchase in the iTunes Store.
To change your password settings, sign out, then follow the steps above to sign in again.