Apple has announced that it will be ending support for iTunes Allowances, a feature of the service that allowed parents to automatically place money into a child's iTunes account on a monthly basis. As of April 13, users can no longer create new iTunes Allowance deposits, with the feature officially getting cut-off for good on May 25, 2016.

After that date, any unused allowance credit will be rolled over into the recipient's basic iTunes account and can be used as normal, but the monthly deposits will cease afterwards. Apple has been informing iTunes Allowance users via email about its cancellation, but gave no specific reason as to why it'll be ending the long-running program.

itunes allowance gone
iTunes Allowances let parents gift kids with a monthly amount of store credit -- from $10 to $50 -- without needing to give them credit card information. The allowance credit could be used like a normal iTunes Store gift card, for purchasing content from the iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, Mac App Store, or even an Apple Music membership.

The company encourages users to use its Family Sharing features, including Ask to Buy for underage members of a shared account group, in lieu of the allowance feature. It also encourages those who have questions to contact Apple Support as May 25 gets nearer.

(Thanks, Sam!)

Top Rated Comments

WordsmithMR Avatar
120 months ago
You mean parents now have to be responsible for their kids spending? SHOCKING. What's next? Parents will have to buy food for their kids?
Wait... They weren't responsible before with allowances? I'm seeing a flaw in that logic.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
teslo Avatar
120 months ago
wow - so rather than resting assured their kids are spending no more than X per month, you now have to keep track manually, and get a notification each and every time they want an app??
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shareef777 Avatar
120 months ago
You mean parents now have to be responsible for their kids spending? SHOCKING. What's next? Parents will have to buy food for their kids?
What're you talking about? The point of this was an ALLOWANCE. You know, the thing parents set for their children to teach them about spending and value. They only get $10 per month to buy X number of apps, buy one $10 app and you get nothing else for a month vs buying a couple smaller ones or waiting for an app they are really looking forward to. NOW they can 'purchase' anything and it comes back to us to approve/deny. I want my kids to learn to make decisions for themselves and find value in deciding even a $1 purchase.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jayson A Avatar
120 months ago
Seems like a useful feature. I wonder why they'd remove it?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lcseds Avatar
120 months ago
You mean parents now have to be responsible for their kids spending? SHOCKING. What's next? Parents will have to buy food for their kids?
Clearly you are not a parent.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Boatboy24 Avatar
120 months ago
Never even knew this existed. Would have been useful. My kids got iPods for Christmas.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...