Apple Family Sharing is a feature from Apple that was first announced in 2014. It was specially created to make it easier for families to share content, storage, and purchases across several iOS devices and Apple ID accounts.
Apple Family Sharing effectively works across Macs and iOS devices.
It allows as many as six people to share Apple Books, iTunes, and App Store purchases, an Apple News+ subscription, an iCloud storage plan, an Apple Music family plan, and share photo albums, a family calendar, and even locations without sharing accounts.
Below is all the information you need about Apple Family Sharing and its features.
Here, you’ll find out how to set it up, its requirements, what can be shared, and how to use it.
How to Setup Family Sharing
Apple Family Sharing is quite simple to set up. The family member who sets it up becomes what Apple identifies as the Organiser.
This person can select the features that a family shares and invite as many as five family members to join the Apple Family Sharing group.
Once an invited family member accepts the invite, that family member will automatically see the Family Sharing set up on their device.
Family Sharing set up on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch:
- Click on the Settings icon and click on your name displayed at the top
- Click on ‘Set Up Family Sharing’
- Tap on ‘Get Started’
- Select the first feature you would love to share with your other family members (iOS 11 or later)
- Click on ‘Continue’
- Select a Shared Payment method. Family members will use the card registered here to pay for Apple Books, iTunes, and App Store purchases.
- Click on ‘Continue’
- Tap on the option to Invite Family Members.
- Type in the security number for your selected shared Payment card if required, then click ‘Next.
- You will receive a new iMessage with a link to the invitation to Family Sharing. Type in your family member’s contact name or number and press send.
- Select ‘Done.’
How to setup Family Sharing on Mac
- Select the Apple menu located on the top left side of your screen
- Click on System Preferences
- Tap on iCloud (or tap on the Family Sharing icon for those who are running macOS Catalina)
- Click on the option to ‘Set up Family’ or ‘Add Family Member.’
- Punch in a family member’s email address, name, or Game Centre nickname
- Tap Continue
- Type in the security code for the card you’re using to confirm that you are the Family Organiser for the setup
- Select whether you want to send an invitation or ask your family members to type in the password for their Apple ID.
Requirements for Apple Family Sharing
All family members that will benefit from the share will need to run nothing other than OS X Yosemite and later or iOS 8 and later for the Apple Family Sharing feature to be functional.
Each family member can only belong to a single family group at a time. If necessary, you can only switch to a different family group twice a year.
Family Sharing also offers the option to set up an Apple ID for a child under 13 and allow that child to join your Apple Family Sharing group.
If you’d like to do this, follow the instructions on Apple’s support page.
What Kind of Information Can You Share in Family Sharing?
When you first set up Family Sharing as a Family Organizer, you select which of the available features you would like to share with your family.
The first available options are App Store purchases, iTunes purchases, iCloud Storage, Apple Music, Screen Time, and Location Sharing.
Below is a rundown of what sharing any of those features with the additional five family members entails.
App Store and iTunes Purchases
Family members will be free to view and download the books, music, movies, apps, and TV Shows you have already purchased.
Each family member will immediately get access to all paid apps that other family members have already purchased.
You can download a copy of any app directly to your iPhone or any other Apple device without sharing your Apple IDs and passwords with anyone.
However, you can only share apps that Apple Family Sharing supports.
Apple Music
Once you have an Apple Music Family plan, up to six household members will be granted unlimited access to Apple Music services on their devices for either $14.99/month or $14.99/month.
Each family member will have a personal Apple Music account, a private music library, and recommendations.
However, since it’s a family plan, the cost is significantly lower than what it would cost six individual subscriptions.
iCloud Storage
All Family members will be allowed shared access to a storage plan for everyone’s files, photos, and backups so that individual members do not need to purchase their separate plans.
There is a choice of 200GB or 2TB, and the family can share both. There will be privacy, as family members will not have access to the files of other members, but you’ll be able to view how much storage space each person is using.
Location Sharing
If necessary, family members will easily view each other’s locations using Find My Friends and Messages.
With this feature set up, family members can also locate each other’s devices using Find My iPhone.
Suppose a family member decides to get some privacy from the other family members. In that case, they can switch off the ‘Share My Location’ option in the iCloud settings to turn their location off until they decide otherwise.
Screen Time
Setting up the Family Sharing Screen Time feature will allow you to view your child’s screen time reports and set parental controls straight from your iPhone.
The Screen Time feature is only useful for those who have kids in their families.
This means you cannot set a time limit on any app for your partner, but you can do so for a child.
You can also name another family member as a parent/guardian so that you have an extra pair of eyes on your children and their screen time.
TV Channels
TV channels do not appear as a feature when Family Sharing is newly set up, but they show if you go back into your settings and view the Family Sharing section.
Each family member will get immediate access to your subscriptions once this feature is turned on.
Everyone in your family will be able to easily watch content from multiple devices and receive personalized recommendations based on what they watch.
How Does Purchasing Work on Apple Family Sharing?
All content purchases are billed directly to the selected card used when Family Sharing was set up, except if a member of your family decides to use their store credit or gift.
When this card has been successfully set up, and the purchasing sharing feature is turned on automatically, the Family Organiser will authorize the card for use by all family members for purchases.
How Do I Turn Off Purchase Sharing?
To turn off purchase sharing, go to Settings > click on your name > click on Family Sharing > click on the option for Purchasing Sharing > Toggle off ‘Share My Purchases.’
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