Apple's App Store for iPhone and iPad is a simple service on the surface. Yet there's a lot more to it than simply logging in with your Apple ID and providing a credit card as a payment method.
You can access a variety of settings, right on your device, to improve your App Store experience. These range from basic (such as viewing your purchase history and redeeming gift cards) to more advanced, such as changing payment information and subscriptions. Let's dive into the App Store settings available on your iPhone.
Basic App Store Account Details
Whenever you want to access your App Store account details, open the App Store app, then tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner. This will bring you to the main Account page, which has a few options and tools.
Select Game Center to access your Game Center profile, which you can use across a variety of games on the platform.
You can also see all the apps you have Purchased, which includes both paid and free apps. Your purchase history includes every app you've ever added to your Apple devices under your account, whether it's installed or not.
Select the Not on this iPhone tab to easily see apps you own but haven't installed. There's also a search bar if you're looking for something specific.
To hide anything in your purchased history, swipe left on it and you'll see a red Hide button. Once you hide an app, you won't be able to see it in your purchase history unless you unhide it in the App Store Settings (which we'll discuss below). The App Store listing will also act as if you've never downloaded that app before.
The Account page also lets you easily redeem Apple gift cards or codes, send gift cards to others by email, and add funds to your Apple ID so you can buy apps, music, and more. Tap the blue link text to get started with each of these.
The Personalized Recommendations section collects information that the App Store uses to improve recommendations for you. We'll cover these items in more detail below.
Finally, the list of apps below this page shows what has updated recently. Pull down from the top of the screen to check for updates for your installed apps. Then you can tap Update All to download the latest versions for everything, Update to update individual apps, or hit More to read changelogs.
Understanding App Store Account Settings
To access your Account Settings, tap your name at the top of the App Store Account screen. You'll need to enter your iPhone's passcode, or use Touch/Face ID, to authenticate.
If you need to edit your Apple account, tap the Apple ID field to visit appleid.apple.com in your browser. There, you'll need to log in with your Apple ID, password, and Apple two-factor authentication verification code, if applicable.
Adding, Editing, and Removing Payment Methods
When you buy anything through the App Store or iTunes, you'll need a payment method. You can add, edit, or remove a credit card or PayPal account through the Manage Payments option. This page lets you review your current payment methods. Tap Edit to change the default (top card) or remove one with the red Delete button.
Tap Add Payment Method to connect your PayPal account or link a new credit card. Apple won't charge your card until you actually make a purchase. You'll see your card listed when you confirm that you want to buy an app, in-app purchase, or similar.
Back on the Account Settings page, below the payment information, you can change your App Store country or region. If you move to a new region, you'll want to do this to access that area's specific App Store.
Removing App Reviews, Managing Subscriptions, and More
If you want to add money to your Apple account balance instead of using your credit card for each purchase, tap Add Money to Account, then choose an amount. You can also set up auto-reload here to add money on a regular basis.
Hit Ratings and Review to see all the reviews you've left on apps and podcasts. It can be fun to look back on these, but there's also a practical purpose: removing ratings you no longer agree with. For example, if an app was bought out, and the latest version has tarnished your opinion of it or, you can delete the rating. Just slide from right to left and tap Remove.
Enable the Personalized Recommendations slider, and your activity on the App Store will be used to influence the recommendations you see. For example, if you've been playing a particular game a lot recently, the App Store will show recommendations like it.
To manage your app subscriptions, tap Subscriptions (which is also an entry on the Account page, mentioned earlier). Here you can check both active and expired subscriptions on your Apple account and change them as needed. In addition to canceling or restarting a subscription, depending on the service, you may be able to change your subscription tier here too.
It's a good idea to check this page regularly so you aren't paying for subscriptions you don't use.
Viewing Purchase History and Unhiding Apps
Earlier, we saw that you can see everything you've downloaded from the App Store from your Account page. If you want a more detailed breakdown of your purchases, check out your Purchase History here on the Account Settings page. This allows you to view full information, in case you need to submit a screenshot for proof of purchase or similar.
To sort your purchases by date, tap the default Last 90 Days to change it to a full breakdown by year and month.
Next on this page is Hidden Purchases. If you hid anything on the menu mentioned earlier, tap Unhide to put it back in the list where it was. According to Apple, hiding an app from your list of purchases is most useful if you use Apple Family Sharing, as hidden apps won't appear in the purchase lists of your family members. Hiding an app does not remove it from your device, or any devices in your Family Sharing group.
There are a few other items at the bottom of the Account Settings page. Tap Remove This Device to exclude your device from automatic downloads (such as apps, updates, and music) and previously downloaded content on other devices associated with your Apple ID.
You can have up to 10 devices associated with your Apple ID at once, and once you remove one, you might have to wait to re-add it. So only do this if you're sure you don't want to use a device with your Apple ID anymore.
Finally, use the Manage button to tweak newsletters and special offers for your account. The bottom two buttons, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, contain plenty of legalese if you need help falling asleep.
App Store Options in Your iPhone's Settings App
We've explained all the options available in the App Store app, but there are also toggles that affect the service in your iPhone's Settings app. Let's quickly take a look at these, too.
To open the relevant menu, open the Settings app, then scroll down to the list of apps and choose App Store.
These settings are pretty simple. Under Automatic Downloads, enable Apps if you want to download apps on your current device when you do so on another device tied to your Apple ID. Enable the toggle for App Updates to install updates without having to manually check.
If you're on a limited data plan with your mobile carrier, you'll want to turn off the Automatic Downloads slider under Cellular Data. App Downloads lets you select whether your phone asks for confirmation to download apps while on mobile data.
Video Autoplay controls whether preview videos in the App Store play automatically, don't play until you start them, or only auto-play on Wi-Fi.
If you've ever been annoyed by an app asking you to review it, disable In-App Rating & Reviews and apps will no longer ask for your feedback.
Finally, when you need to save space on your iPhone, the Offload Unused Apps feature is handy. When enabled, iOS will automatically remove apps that you don't use. Any documents or data associated with the app will stick around. However, you'll need to reinstall the app again when you're ready to use it, provided it is still available.
Master the iPhone App Store for a Better Experience
While many of the settings we've discussed technically fall under the Apple ID umbrella, they have an impact on how you use the App Store (as well as iTunes, to a point). As such, it's a good idea to know what options you have, and configure them to your liking.
For more on the App Store, you should also know about Apple's privacy labels. These exist to help you make more informed decisions about how apps use your data.