Why enable Apple Home Sharing? Understand how the feature works and what the benefits are.
Family Sharing is an Apple feature that allows up to six family members to access services such as Apple Music, Apple TV +, Apple Fitness +, Apple News + and Apple Arcade. It is also possible to share an iCloud storage plan and share purchases on iTunes, Apple Books and the App Store.
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Apple Family Sharing can be used by up to six family members (Image Bagus Hernawan / Unsplash)
How Apple Home Sharing Works
It’s simple. An adult should be the organizer and invite the family to participate in Sharing.
As soon as people join the group, they will gain instant access to subscriptions and content that is eligible for sharing. Of course, not everything is shared with the members – each user continues to have their own personal account.
What can I do?
Share purchases from the App Store : apps, music, movies, TV shows and books purchased by users are available to the whole family. The content automatically appears on the “Purchased” page on the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books or the Apple TV app. Some items cannot be shared.
Share Apple subscriptions : Your entire family can have access to the same Apple subscriptions. You can also share the Apple One , which integrates apple services for a cheaper monthly fee, and some other subscriptions for which you have subscribed to apps on the App Store.
Set up sharing on iOS (Image: Disclosure / Apple)
Personal files privacy and everyone’s preferences : when sharing an iCloud storage plan, family members cannot see each other’s photos, files or documents. In addition, in subscriptions, such as Apple Music, Apple Fitness + or Apple TV +, each person has access to their own preferences and recommendations, not those of the whole family.
Share locations and devices : All members of the group can share their respective locations. In addition, you can use the Find app to help other family members find your devices if they are lost.
How to set up Family Sharing
An adult must create a group on the iPhone, iPad , iPod Touch or Mac to set up Family Sharing. This group can have up to six people, including the organizer.
How to create a family group on iPhone
- Go to “Settings”> “Your name”;
- Tap on “Family sharing”> “Set up family”;
- Follow the instructions on the phone to set up the screen and invite family members.
Create a family group on iOS (Image: Playback / iOS)
When setting up Family Sharing, confirm that you agree to pay for purchases initiated by family members that you invite and that there is a valid payment method already registered.
How to join a family group
Use your Apple device to accept or decline the invitation – the order will arrive via email or text message. In addition to the direct link, you can also respond in “Settings” or “System Preferences”.
How to share an iCloud storage plan
The family can share a 200 GB or 2 TB storage plan for the resource, and it is only necessary to manage a subscription. Users’ documents and images remain private, and each uses their own iCloud account, just as with individual storage plans.
Follow the steps below to share a storage plan on your iPhone or iPad with an existing family group:
- Go to “Settings”> “Your name”;
- Go to “Family Sharing”> “iCloud Storage”;
- Follow the steps to share your existing plan or, if necessary, upgrade to a 200 GB or 2 TB plan;
- Use Messaging to notify family members with paid storage plans that they can switch to shared storage
iCloud is Apple’s cloud storage service (Image: Disclosure / Apple)
Parental control
You can create an Apple ID for children under the age of 13. With login , the child is able to use the account on the device itself and make purchase decisions, but legal guardians can still limit actions with parental control features.
Approve what children download : Just configure the “Ask to buy” feature to see and approve what children download. When your child’s account tries to buy apps, movies or other content, the family organizer will receive an alert and can approve or decline directly from their device.
Apple Cash Family : Legal guardians can send money directly to children through the Apple Cash Family. Thus, they are able to make purchases through Apple Pay . Spending can be viewed and controlled.
Limit the amount of time children spend on their devices : Usage Time lets you control how long your kids use apps, visit websites and use devices in general. Review children’s activity reports and set time limits for specific apps, right from your own device. It is also possible to appoint another family member as legal guardian, so that you are always aligned when it comes to children and the time they use them.
