Apple TV Restrictions: Content & Purchase Setup

Managing Content Restrictions on Apple TV

Apple TV offers enhanced controls for limiting access to content and purchases compared to earlier models. These features allow for straightforward restriction of mature content, applications, and in-app purchases.

Setting Up Restrictions

The process of establishing and overseeing these restrictions is quite user-friendly. It allows parents and users to tailor the Apple TV experience to their specific needs.

Here's a breakdown of how to configure and maintain these settings:

Restricting Mature Content: This feature prevents access to movies, TV shows, and apps with age-based ratings exceeding your specified limit.
App Restrictions: You can disable the ability to install new apps, ensuring only pre-approved applications are used.
Purchase Limitations: This control prevents unauthorized purchases through the iTunes Store or in-app purchases.

How to Manage Existing Restrictions

Modifying or removing existing restrictions is equally simple. Accessing the settings menu allows for quick adjustments to your preferences.

Regularly reviewing these settings is recommended to ensure they continue to align with your desired level of content control. This is particularly important as content libraries and app availability evolve.

Important Note: These restrictions are tied to the Apple ID used to set them up. Therefore, changes require access to that specific Apple ID and password.

Understanding the Benefits of Apple TV Restrictions

Related: Discover how to power down or put your Apple TV to sleep directly from your remote control.

Numerous motivations exist for activating content and purchase restrictions on your Apple TV, extending beyond simply managing children’s access. The primary reasons individuals choose to secure their media center are to shield younger viewers from inappropriate material and to prevent unauthorized spending.

However, these restrictions offer benefits to a broader audience than just parents. For instance, if you share living space, you can disable online multiplayer functionality to protect your ranking in competitive games.

Protecting Your Purchases

Similarly, purchase restrictions prevent roommates, guests, or family members from incurring charges for TV show seasons, applications, or in-app content.

The following guide details the process of enabling these restrictions, including setting a passcode and customizing the available options.

We will first cover how to set a passcode, and then explore the individual restrictions you can activate.

Implementing Restrictions with a Passcode

The initial step in securing your Apple TV involves accessing the Settings menu. A parent or administrator passcode must be established before any content restrictions can be applied. This security measure prevents unauthorized modification of the settings.

To begin, navigate to the Settings menu by selecting the gear icon located on the Apple TV home screen using your remote’s touchpad.

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From within Settings, choose the “General” submenu to proceed.

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Within the General menu, select the “Restrictions” submenu. Initially, this feature is typically disabled, as indicated by the “Off” status.

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Upon entering the Restrictions menu, most options will appear grayed out. Select “Restrictions” itself to initiate the passcode setup process.

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You will be prompted to create a four-digit passcode. Confirm your selection by re-entering it when asked. Returning to the main Restrictions menu signifies successful passcode implementation. Now, the individual restrictions available for configuration can be explored.

Available Restrictions

Content restrictions can be applied based on ratings.
Purchase restrictions can prevent unauthorized purchases.
Restrictions can be set for specific apps.

These settings allow for a customized viewing experience, tailored to the needs of your household. Properly configuring these options ensures a safe and controlled entertainment environment.

Managing Access: Restrictions on Apple TV

Once a passcode is established, it becomes possible to control which features and content are accessible. This is particularly relevant for parents, those sharing living spaces, or anyone managing device usage for others.

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Within the "iTunes Store" section, options are available to regulate "Purchase and Rental" activities, as well as "In-App Purchases." These can be toggled between "Allow" and "Restrict" settings. Preventing purchases and rentals blocks access to content like music, films, television programs, and applications. Restricting in-app purchases prevents unexpected charges from occurring within free-to-play applications.

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The "Allows Content" subsection focuses on controlling content playback, rather than purchasing. Here, music and podcasts can be filtered for "Explicit" content or set to "Clean." The rating system can also be adjusted to align with regional standards, if available.

Restrictions can be applied to movies, TV shows, and even Siri’s display of explicit language. Movie and television show content can be entirely disabled, or limited based on the selected rating system.

For instance, utilizing the U.S. rating system allows for restricting movies to PG-13 and below, and TV shows to TV-PG and below. App ratings are based on iTunes classifications, offering options to disable all apps, permit all apps, or restrict access based on age categories like 4+, 9+, 12+, and 17+.

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Two further sections complete the restriction options. The "Game Center" subsection allows toggling "Multiplayer Games" and the "Adding Friends" function. These controls are beneficial for allowing children to play games without the risk of interacting with strangers online.

The final section, "Allow Changes," manages restrictions for AirPlay settings and Location Services. Locking these settings with a passcode prevents unauthorized modifications by any user.

This concludes the overview of the Apple TV purchase and content restriction system. While generally effective, a notable limitation is the inability to filter applications individually. Content restrictions function well for movies and TV shows due to pre-existing ratings.

However, this approach is less effective for apps, as many apps deliver their own content, and the app itself receives the rating, not the content within. For example, the Netflix app may be rated 4+, but contains mature content. Ideally, a whitelist or blacklist of permitted or restricted apps would be available.

Do you have a specific technical question regarding your Apple TV? Please send an email to ask@howtogeek.com, and we will endeavor to provide a helpful response.