It’s no fun, especially if your kids are spending money unintentionally. Sometimes these transactions become irreversible, and the problem ends up costing you more than you would like to admit.
Fortunately, there are a few protection methods that can prevent accidental payments, and even customizable caps that prevent you from spending beyond your means, like a monthly budget for games and apps, or setting a limit on your data plan so you don’t have to pay overage fees.
Enable verifications for payments in the Google Play Store
The purchase verification can be set to a specific frequency, but if you share this device with another person, you should keep it set to “Always” to avoid problems. Google notes that verification may not be required for every payment method, even if the frequency is set to always. You will find the purchase verification and frequency option under “Payments and Subscriptions”. Enable “Biometric Verification” and select “Verification Frequency” below.
To further prevent payments from being made to the wrong card, for example, if there is a spending allowance on someone else’s card or a more controlled means of spending, you can always use a payment method check instead. The second verification occurs when someone attempts to purchase an app or game and selects a specific payment method. This is linked to a specific payment method, which the user must verify before sending. Please note that this isn’t a Google-controlled method. You’ll need to use a card or a bank transfer through a supported app on the Google Play Store.
Set monthly budgets for apps and games.
Setting a budget is also quite simple. Open the Google Play Store, select “Payments & Subscriptions” > “Budget & History,” then choose “Set Budget.” Specify the amount and press “Save”. Technically, you can change this budget later, so it’s not set in stone.
The thing is, when you’re about to go over budget, every time you make another purchase, a message will let you know – it doesn’t stop you from making the purchase. It’s about helping you be conscious of your future purchases without being too aggressive.
Set calendar reminders to cancel subscriptions.
Additionally, they don’t have to be subscriptions; you can do this with free trials as well. Many options require an upfront payment and charge you for the first month after weeks of use, which can catch you off guard if you lose track of time.
If you use your calendar for other events, color-code them so they stand out from others in your app. You can do this for an existing event by pressing the Edit button to change the assigned label, or when creating a new event, add a new one. Choosing a red label is a helpful reminder that you are nearing the end of your trial or subscription.
Add a limit to your data plan.
Technically, you can enable data saver to reduce your personal mobile data usage, so that all apps can’t access data in the background as frequently, or even bloatware doesn’t use valuable resources when it shouldn’t. To enable “Data Saver”, open your Android settings, tap “Network & Internet” or a similar options menu, then select “Data Saver” and enable it. On Samsung devices, the data saver option can be found in the data usage settings under “Connections”.
To set a limit or warning, open your Android Settings, tap “Network & Internet” or a similar option, then tap the gear icon next to your carrier to open Settings and choose “Warning & Data Limit.” Select “Warning & Data Limit” > “Set Data Warning”, tap “Data Warning” and choose “Set” to complete the process. In the same section, you can enable “Set data limit” to start setting a data limit. The process for Samsung is slightly different but very similar. In your settings, open “Connections” > “Data usage” > “Billing cycle and data warning”, enable “Set data warning” or “Set data limit” to specify values for each setting below.
