Family sharing

With Family Sharing, the organizer can set up Purchase Sharing to share App Store, Apple TV, and Apple Books purchases.

To share purchases, the family organizer must turn on Purchase Sharing and add a payment method. Family members can then opt in to Purchase Sharing, so they can share purchases and view shared purchases. When a family member makes a purchase, the organizer is billed, unless that family member adds a payment method to pay for their own purchases.

When a family member buys something, it’s added to their account, and eligible purchases are shared with the rest of the family. The organizer can also turn off purchase sharing later.

Turn on Purchase Sharing

Purchase sharing means the family organizer pays for family members’ purchases, so the organizer must have a valid payment method on file. Each family member can also add their own payment methods.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Family, tap Purchase Sharing, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Access shared content

If you’ve opted in and purchase sharing is turned on, eligible apps and content your family members buy are yours to download and play.

Turn off Purchase Sharing

As the family organizer, you can turn off purchase sharing, and your purchases are then hidden from Family Sharing members. You’ll still see items other members have shared with you.

Note: Even though your items aren’t shared, any purchases you make still use the shared family payment method.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Family, then tap Purchase Sharing.
3. Tap your name and turn off Share Purchases.
4. If the organizer wants to turn off purchase sharing entirely, they can tap Stop Purchase Sharing.

You can also share Apple and App Store subscriptions with family members.

See also

• Manage App Store purchases, settings, and restrictions

With Family Sharing, each family member joins the family group with their own Apple Account. That way you can share access to subscriptions and other features without sharing personal information like photos or documents.

The family organizer can invite family members who have an Apple Account or create a Child Account for a child who doesn’t have one yet. You can send the invitation with AirDrop, Messages, or Mail, or invite someone in person. Children under 13 need a Child Account, which is available up to age 18. And you can belong to only one Family Sharing group at a time.

Learn about types of Family Sharing members.

Add a family member

The organizer of a Family Sharing group can add any family member who has their own Apple Account.

1. Start the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Family and tap Add Member in the upper-right corner.
3. Tap Invite Others, then follow the onscreen instructions.

   You can send the invitation using AirDrop, Messages, or Mail. If you’re near the family member, you can also tap Invite in Person and ask the family member to enter their Apple Account email address (or phone number) and password on your device.

The people you invite find your invitation in the Family row at the top of Settings. Haven’t heard back? You can follow up with reminders.

If you’d like to join an existing Family Sharing group, the organizer has to add you. You can only belong to one Family Sharing group at a time, so leave your current group before joining a different one. For the steps, read our guide, Leave a Family Sharing group.

In a Family Sharing group, the organizer can remove members or disband the group, and family members (other than teens with parental controls or children) can remove themselves. A removed member immediately loses access to shared features, and you can’t remove a child under 13, though you can move them to another group.

If you leave a group yourself, you stop sharing your purchases and subscriptions and immediately lose access to content others shared. The organizer can’t leave the group, though, so changing the organizer means disbanding it and having another adult create a new one.

Learn about types of Family Sharing members.

Remove a member from a family group

The organizer of a Family Sharing group can remove other members, and a removed family member immediately loses access to shared subscriptions and to content purchased by other members.

1. Open Settings and then tap Family.
2. Tap [member’s name], then tap Remove [member’s name] from Sharing Group.

There’s no way to remove a child under 13 from your Family Sharing group, but you can still move them to another group or delete their Apple Account.

If you transfer a child under 13 from a family group, that will affect the parental controls previously set, while removing a teen under 18 means losing your previously set parental controls.

Leave a Family Sharing group

As soon as you leave a Family Sharing group, you lose access to any content family members have shared, and you stop sharing your purchases and subscriptions with them.

Note: The organizer isn’t able to leave the Family Sharing group. To change the organizer, you must disband the group, then have another adult create a new one.

1. Open Settings and then tap Family.
2. Tap [your name] and tap Stop Using Family Sharing.

Stop Family Sharing

If the family organizer turns off Family Sharing, every family member is removed from the group at the same time. With Family Sharing off, they all immediately lose access to the shared content and subscriptions.

Note: If a child under 13 is in the Family Sharing group, the organizer must move them to another group or delete their Apple Account before disbanding the group. Transferring a child under 13 from a family group will affect the parental controls previously set, and removing a teen under 18 will remove your previously set parental controls.

1. Open Settings and then tap Family.
2. Tap [your name] and tap Stop Using Family Sharing.

With Family Sharing, you and up to five other family members can share access to Apple services, eligible purchases, iCloud+ storage, and more. You can even help locate each other’s missing devices.

One adult—the organizer—invites the others, and each family member chooses the features they want to use. When they join, Family Sharing is set up on everyone’s devices automatically. Setting it up on one device is enough, since it’s then available on all your devices signed in to the same Apple Account. A Child Account is required for children under 13.

Family Sharing is available on eligible devices.

Create a Family Sharing group

You only need to set up Family Sharing on one device, since it’s then available on every device of yours signed in to the same Apple Account. The family organizer can invite family members who already have an Apple Account, or create one for a child who doesn’t have one yet.

Note: A Child Account is required for children under 13 and available for children up to 18. (This age varies by country or region.)

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap your name, then tap Family.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up your Family Sharing group.
4. Tap Invite next to suggested family members (if any are listed), or tap Invite Others and then do one of the following:
   • Tap Create Child Account to create a Child Account for your kid.
   • Tap Invite People, then follow the onscreen instructions to invite family members and designate added adult members as parents or guardians. Learn about types of Family Sharing members.

   You can also add family members later. See Add a member to a Family Sharing group.

5. Tap a feature you want to set up for your Family Sharing group (for example, Subscriptions). Follow the onscreen instructions.

   To set up parental controls or Apple Cash for a child, tap their name, tap the feature, then follow the onscreen instructions.

   You can see what you’re sharing with your family and adjust sharing settings at any time.

What you can do with Family Sharing

With your Family Sharing group, you can set up or share the following:

• Apple and App Store subscriptions: You can share Apple subscriptions, including iCloud+, and eligible App Store subscriptions. See Share Apple and App Store subscriptions with family members.
• Purchases: You can share items purchased in the App Store, Apple Books, and Apple TV. The family organizer pays for everyone’s purchases unless they turn off Purchase Sharing or other adult family members use their own payment method to make purchases.
• Locations: When you share your location with your Family Sharing group, all family members, including any new members added later, can use the Find My app to see your location and help locate a missing device. See Share locations with family members and locate their lost devices.
• Passwords and passkeys: You can share passwords and passkeys with people in your family to access important accounts. See Share passwords and passkeys with people you trust.
• Payment methods: The family organizer can set a default payment method in their Apple Account, which can be used by others in the Family Sharing group. By default, all purchases are billed to the family organizer, unless family members add their own payment method for their purchases.
• Parental controls, Apple Card and Apple Cash, and child device set up: You can manage your children’s purchases, how they use their Apple devices, and more. You can share Apple Card with trusted members of your Family Sharing group or set up an Apple Cash Family account for a child.

See recommendations for Family Sharing features

To see suggestions to help you get the most out of Family Sharing, go to Settings > Family, then tap Recommended For Your Family.

See also

• Use iCloud on iPad