Chapter 3 Basics 36
Family Sharing
With Family Sharing, up to six family members can share their iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks
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, App Store, and iBooks 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
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. Go to 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, App Store, and iBooks Store purchases. Open iTunes Store, App
Store, or iBooks Store, tap Purchased, then choose a family member from the menu that appears.
When a family member initiates 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.
