iOS 11.3, now in beta, allows approval of family purchases using Face ID; biometric authentication of family purchases previously possible only via Touch ID
Guilherme Rambo / 9to5Mac :
Context & Ripple Effects
When the iPhone X launched, its Face ID could do almost everything Touch ID could except one thing: approve family purchases under Ask to Buy, forcing parents to fall back on typing their Apple ID password — a gap Ars Technica flagged in December. The iOS 11.3 beta closes it, restoring biometric approval for family purchase requests on Face ID devices.
First-order effects
- iPhone X owners who manage Family Sharing can now approve kids' purchase requests with a glance instead of entering their password, removing the one workflow where Touch ID devices were still faster.
Second-order effects
- Lower friction on Ask to Buy approvals means fewer abandoned kids' purchase requests, which feeds App Store transaction volume — and it removes an argument for holding onto older Touch ID hardware.
Third-order effects
- Apple's pattern here — restoring Face ID parity feature by feature, later extending to masked unlocks in iOS 14.5 and 15.4 — points toward biometrics becoming the default gate for every authenticated action, with passwords kept only as fallback.
The trend: Face ID is being methodically brought to full functional parity with Touch ID across authentication workflows, making biometric approval the default human checkpoint for spending and access on iOS.