I Put a Dozen Games on My Mom's Phone — Here's Exactly How I Lock It Down

Last Thanksgiving, my mom asked me to put "one of those slot machine games" on her iPad. She'd seen an ad. She's 71, sharp as a tack, and has never spent a dollar on an app in her life.

I said yes, of course. But I also spent the next hour doing what I do for a living: setting it up so the games stay fun and her fixed income stays untouched. If you're the designated tech person in your family — and if you're reading this, you probably are — here's the exact playbook I use, written down so you can follow along on your next visit home.

Step One: Purchase Protection Before Any Downloads

Do this before you install a single game, because the order matters.

On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings, tap your family member's name, then Media & Purchases, and enable "Ask to Buy" if they're on Family Sharing. At minimum, remove saved payment methods entirely. For app store purchases, set up a small allowance balance or use gift cards — a $10 or $20 gift card balance is a hard ceiling that a credit card is not.

On Android: Open the Play Store, tap the profile icon, go to Settings, then Authentication, and require authentication for every purchase. Turn on "Require password for purchases" — never set it to the 30-minute grace period.

The goal is simple: any accidental tap that leads to a charge should hit a wall, not a wallet.

Step Two: Tame the Notifications

Mobile games are engineered to call you back. Daily bonuses "expiring," limited-time offers, friendly characters asking why you haven't visited — it's a lot at 7 a.m.

After installing each game, go to Settings, then Notifications, and find the app. I turn everything off except, maybe, nothing. Honestly, turn it all off. Every game that matters will still be there when she opens it voluntarily. On iOS, you can also set a scheduled notification summary so anything that slips through arrives in one tidy batch at a time she chooses.

Step Three: Pick Games That Don't Prey

Not all games are built the same, and the differences matter more on a fixed income. Here's what I look for:

• One currency, not two. Games with confusing dual-currency systems (coins plus gems plus "spins") are designed to obscure what things cost.
• Generous free play. If a game cuts you off after five minutes unless you pay, that's a coin drain, not a game.
• No countdown pressure. Timed offers and expiring deals are pressure tactics. Skip them.
• Offline capability. Games that work on a plane or in a waiting room without wifi tend to respect your attention more generally.

Puzzle games, solitaire variants, and casual match-three titles are usually safer bets than anything with a casino aesthetic. If your relative loves the slot-machine feel, social casino apps that clearly state coins have no cash value can be fine entertainment — as long as the purchase protections from step one are already in place.

Step Four: Teach the Warning Signs, Gently

The best protection is a person who knows what to watch for. During setup, I sit next to my mom and point out the tells:

• A pop-up offering a sale "for the next 10 minutes only"
• A game that gets noticeably harder right when a special offer appears
• Any screen that makes buying coins feel like the natural next tap

I tell her the same thing I'd tell a friend: if a game makes you feel rushed or anxious, close it. There are a thousand more. That reframe — that games work for you, not the reverse — has done more than any settings menu.

Step Five: Check In, But Don't Hover

Once a month or so, ask what they're playing. Not to police — to stay familiar. Games update, new ones get installed from TV ads, and the landscape shifts. A two-minute conversation keeps you in the loop without making anyone feel managed.

Your Copy-Paste Checklist

Save this for your next visit:

1. Remove saved payment methods or set a gift card balance
2. Require authentication for every purchase
3. Disable notifications for all game apps
4. Install games with one currency and generous free play
5. Walk through the pressure-tactic warning signs together
6. Set a monthly check-in

Thirty minutes of setup bought my mom months of worry-free solitaire and, yes, one slot machine game she enjoys with zero risk of a surprise charge. That's the whole point — the games should be the fun part, and the safety part should be invisible. Do the setup once, and everyone gets to relax.