The Xbox Family Settings app is getting an update that will allow parents and guardians to set spending limits on microtransactions for their children.
Xbox announced this news today, revealing that parents and caregivers have been requesting options to track and manage their child’s spending since last year. The next Xbox Family Settings app update will finally bring these options and more to the app.
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The first of three spending limit-related features coming to the app is the ability for parents to set spending limits. Parents and caregivers will be able to manage how much their child spends on games, microtransactions, and more by adding money directly to the Xbox account in the app. Xbox says this new feature is a great way for parents to reward their children for good grades, for example, or as part of their weekly allowance if they have one.
The second spending limit feature coming to the app is an Ask to Buy option. When this is turned on, the parent or caregiver will receive a notification each time their child wants to make a purchase that they don’t have the sufficient funds to make.
“Parents can then make the purchase on their child’s behalf (if it’s a game or app), or add money to their account for an in-game purchase, like a new skin or accessory,” Xbox’s blog post reads. “And if you don’t want to approve the purchase, simply select the ‘deny’ button on the notification you receive.”
The third new spending limit-related feature coming to the Xbox Family Settings app is the ability to view a child’s account balance. If someone is interested in how much money their child has left on their account, they can review that balance at any time and add additional funds if they’d like to.
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“Parents can also view their child’s spending history to keep track of their recent purchases,” the blog reads. “We know it’s important to parents to track and manage their children’s spending when they game to avoid any unexpected surprises or bills. With these new features, parents are empowered to customize their family’s access to spending money in games or in the Microsoft Store to fit what’s right for them.”
Xbox’s blog post detailing these upcoming features does not list a date for the update so it’s unclear when these features will go live in the app.
While waiting for this update to hit the Xbox Family Settings app, check out IGN’s comparison of the security and privacy features on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Check out our thoughts on Microsoft’s latest console in IGN’s Xbox Series X review after that and then read this story about how and where to buy an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.
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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
