What is Family Sharing?

With Family Sharing, you and up to five other family members can share access to amazing Apple services such as iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+ and Apple Arcade. Your group can also share iTunes, Apple Books and App Store purchases, and a family photo album. You can even help locate each other's missing devices.

Five smiling family members are shown with icons of iCloud, photos, Apple TV+ and other Apple products and services.

One adult in your household – the family organiser – invites your family members. When family members join, they get instant access to the group's content and subscriptions that are eligible to be shared. Each family member uses their own account, so everyone's experience stays personalised and private.

Set up Family Sharing.

Share purchases, subscriptions, iCloud+ and more

Share purchases from the App Store and more

When you set up purchase sharing, everyone in the family gets access to the apps, music, films, TV programmes and books that family members buy. The content appears automatically on the Purchased page in the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books or Apple TV app. Some items can't be shared.

Turn on purchase sharing.

Share Apple subscriptions

Whether it's music, TV and films, news, games or fitness, Apple subscriptions have something for everyone. And with iCloud+, you can share storage and features such as iCloud Private Relay, Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video support with your family.

When you use Family Sharing, your whole family can share access to the same Apple subscriptions. With Apple One, you can bundle everything together for one low monthly price. You can also share some other subscriptions that you sign up for in apps from the App Store.

Find out how to add a family member to your subscription.

Everyone's personal files and preferences remain private

When you share iCloud+, family members can't see each others' photos, files or documents. And when you share other subscriptions, such as Apple Music, Apple Fitness+ or Apple TV+, each person will see their own preferences and recommendations – not the whole family's.

Want to keep purchases private? You can hide individual items.

If your family includes children

Parents can create Apple IDs for children under the age of 13* in their family. With an Apple ID, a child can use their own account on their own device – and even make their own purchasing decisions. But with integrated parental control features, parents can still set limits.

* Age varies by country or region.

Approve what children buy or download

If you want to see and approve what children download, set up Ask to Buy. When a child asks to buy apps, films or other content, an alert is sent to the family organiser, who can approve or decline it directly from their own device.

Set up Ask to Buy.

Children can use Apple Cash

With Apple Cash Family, your child or teenager can send or receive money in Messages and make purchases with Apple Pay. Parents can send an allowance or pocket money directly to their children. And parents can see and limit kids' spending. Family members under the age of 18 can also participate in Apple Card Family.

Set up Apple Cash Family.

Limit how much time children spend on their devices

With Screen Time, you can keep an eye on how much time your kids are spending on apps, visiting websites and on their devices overall. Review your children's activity reports and set time limits for specific apps directly from your own device. You can also name another family member as a parent or guardian so that you're always on the same page when it comes to your children and their screen time.

Use Screen Time.

Children can stay connected with an Apple Watch

Set up Apple Watch for a school-aged child who doesn't have their own iPhone. Kids can use their Apple Watch to make phone calls, send messages and share their location with you. And parents can help children avoid distractions during school hours with Schooltime.

Set up a child's Apple Watch with Family Setup.

Share locations and find devices

To help you stay coordinated, people in your family group can share locations. And you can help other family members find their devices if they're missing.

Keep track of where everybody is

Find a missing device

Your family members' devices appear in the Find My app. So it's easier than ever to track down a missing or stolen iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac.

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