Apple’s “Family Sharing” feature allows us to do just that, make it easy to share apps, music, movies, books and more with our family without having to pay for them multiple times. Let’s talk about how this feature works, how to set it up and how to get the most out of it to enjoy a more complete experience on our iPhone.
How to set up Family Sharing
Before we begin, let’s make sure that all members of our family have their own Apple ID and use it to log in to their devices. In addition, as family organizers we will need to have a valid payment method associated with our Apple ID. From here we can set up the family, the steps are as follows:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- We touch our name at the top.
- We played in En familia.
- We played in En familia.
Ahora simplemente seguimos las instrucciones de la pantalla para configurar la familia. Aquí lo que haremos es invitar a los miembros de nuestra familia a unirse. Simplemente tocaremos en “Agregar miembro” y escribiremos el nombre o dirección de correo electrónico de la persona que deseamos invitar. Ellos recibirán una invitación y podrán unirse al grupo familiar en solo un par de pasos.
What we can do thanks to the Family function
Once we have set up the family sharing feature, all members of the group will be able to access the apps and purchases made by other members in the App Store, iTunes Store and Apple Books. To access these shared purchases, we need to go to the respective store and select “Purchases” after tapping our photo at the top right. We will then be able to view and download the content shared by other group members.
In addition to sharing apps and individual purchases, this feature also allows us to share subscriptions to services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and iCloud. To top it off, third-party subscriptions, if the developer so chooses, are also eligible for family enjoyment.
Special mention that Family Sharing allows us to share iCloud storage. Very useful if we have a storage plan with a lot of capacity and want to share it with others to avoid having to pay for additional plans. To do this we simply go into Settings > [our name] > iCloud > Manage account space, tap on Change plan and select one that has enough space for all members of the group.
Another useful feature of Family Sharing is the ability to share the location with each other, including that of our AirTags. Especially useful for keeping each other informed about each other’s whereabouts. To activate the location sharing feature, each member of the family group must go into Settings > [our name] > Family Sharing and activate the people they want to see it within Location Sharing.
Finally, the system also offers the possibility of setting parental controls for purchases made by children in the group. The “Request to buy” feature allows parents to approve or reject purchases made by their children before they become effective. Activating this feature requires us to go into Settings > [our name] > In family and activate Request to buy after touching the name of a minor in the group.
Truly, Family Sharing is an exceptionally useful feature that facilitates collaboration and content sharing among members of a family group. Enjoying apps, digital content, subscriptions, our internet connection and more without having to pay multiple times is something to keep in mind. And, as we’ve just seen, it’s as easy as enabling the corresponding options in the Settings app.
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