With Family Sharing, up to six family members can share their iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store purchases, a family calendar, and family photos, all without sharing accounts.
One adult in your household—the family organizer—invites family members to join the family group and agrees to pay for any iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store purchases those family members initiate while part of the family group. Once set up, family members get immediate access to each other’s music, movies, TV shows, books, and eligible apps. In addition, family members can easily share photos in a shared family album, add events to a family calendar, share their location with other family members, and even help locate another family member’s missing device.
Children under 13 can participate in Family Sharing, too. As a parent or legal guardian, the family organizer can provide parental consent for a child to have his or her own Apple ID, and create it on the child’s behalf. Once the account is created, it’s added to the family group automatically.
Family Sharing requires you to sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID. You will also be asked to confirm the Apple ID you use for the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store. It is available on devices with iOS 8, Mac computers with OS X Yosemite, and PCs with iCloud for Windows 4.0. You can be part of only one family group at a time.
Set up Family Sharing. Go to Settings > iCloud > Set Up Family Sharing. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up Family Sharing as the family organizer, then invite family members to join.
Create an Apple ID for a child. Tap Settings > iCloud > Family, scroll to the bottom of the screen, then tap Create an Apple ID for a child.
Accept an invitation to Family Sharing. Make sure you are signed into iCloud, and that you can accept a Family Sharing invitation from your iOS device (iOS 8 required), Mac (OS X Yosemite required), or PC (iCloud for Windows 4.0 required). Or, if the organizer is nearby during the setup process, he or she can simply ask you to enter the Apple ID and password you use for iCloud.
Access shared iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store purchases. Open iTunes Store, iBooks Store, or App Store, tap Purchased, then choose a family member from the menu that appears.
When a family member makes a purchase, it is billed directly to the family organizer’s account. Once purchased, the item is added to the initiating family member’s account and is shared with the rest of the family. If Family Sharing is ever disabled, each person keeps the items they chose to purchase—even if they were paid for by the family organizer.
Turn on Ask to Buy. The family organizer can require young family members to request approval for purchases or free downloads. Go to Settings > iCloud > Family, then tap the person’s name.
Note: Age restrictions for Ask to Buy vary by area. In the United States, the family organizer can enable Ask to Buy for any family member under age 18; for children under age 13, it’s enabled by default.
Hide your iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store purchases. Open iTunes on your computer, then click iTunes Store. Under Quick Links, click Purchased, then choose the content type (for example, Music or Movies). Hover over the item you want to hide, then click . To make purchases visible again, return to Quick Links, then click Account. Scroll down to iTunes in the Cloud, then click Manage (to the right of Hidden Purchases).
Share photos or videos with family members. When you set up Family Sharing, a shared album called "Family" is automatically created in the Photos app on all family members’ devices. To share a photo or video with family members, open the Photos app, then view a photo or video or select multiple photos or videos. Tap , tap iCloud Photo Sharing, add comments, then share to your shared family album. See iCloud Photo Sharing.
Add an event to the family calendar. When you set up Family Sharing, a shared calendar called "Family" is automatically created in the Calendar app on all family members’ devices. To add a family event, open the Calendar app, create an event, then choose to add the event to the family calendar. See Share iCloud calendars.
Set up a family reminder.
When you set up Family Sharing, a shared list is automatically created in the Reminders app on all family members’ devices. To add a reminder to the family list, open the Reminders app, tap the family list, then add a reminder to the list. See Reminders at a glance.
Share your location with family members. Family members can share their location by tapping Settings > iCloud > Share My Location. To find a family member’s location, use the Find My Friends app (download it for free from the App Store). Or, use the Messages app (iOS 8 required).
Keep track of your family’s devices. Go to Settings > iCloud > Family, tap your name, then choose to let family members track your devices. To help a family member find his or her device, open the Find My iPhone app. For more information about keeping track of devices, see Find My iPhone.
Leave Family Sharing. Go to Settings > iCloud > Family, then tap Leave Family Sharing. If you are the organizer, go to Settings > iCloud > Family, tap your name, then tap Stop Family Sharing.
