Jamesomg

Dec 21, 2015  Family Sharing tips: How to view a family member’s purchases in the App Store app. If you want to view and download iPhone or iPad apps that one of your family members has purchased, you’ll need to use the App Store app. Launch the App Store app and tap on Updates in the bottom navigation.; Tap on Purchases at the top and select the family member you’d like to view purchases for. All family members already had payment info & had previously bought or downloaded free apps. I was reminded when someone just downvoted my 'jog its elbow to get it going' answer & the myriad questions we've had here about not being able to download even free apps without payment info on file.

What you can share

With purchase sharing, you can share most of the content that you've purchased using your Apple ID. You can share:

• Music, movies, and TV shows from the iTunes Store
• Books from the Book Store in Apple Books
• Most apps from the App Store

With Family Sharing, you can also share subscriptions with your family members. You can share your:

• Apple Music family subscription
• Apple Arcade subscription
• Apple News+ subscription
• Apple TV+ subscription
• Apple TV channels subscriptions
• iCloud storage plan

The availability of App Store and iTunes Store content depends on your country or region.

To share apps, you need iOS 8 or later or OS X Yosemite or later. To make the most of Family Sharing, update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest iOS or iPadOS and update your Mac to the latest macOS.

What you can't share

• Individual or student Apple Music subscriptions and other third-party subscriptions.
• In-app purchases.
• Items that are no longer available on the App Store and iTunes Store.
• Items that you or another member of your family group have hidden. Learn more about hidden purchases.
• Some apps from the App Store. Find out if your app is shareable.

If you're on an Apple TV, you can't access shared music.

Find out if your app is shareable

If you want to check if an app you plan to purchase or have already purchased is shareable with purchase sharing, you can follow these steps.

How to see if an app is shareable on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
2. Find the app that you want to share.
3. Scroll down to the Supports section.
   
4. If you can share the app, you'll see Family Sharing listed.

How to see if an app is shareable on your Mac

1. Open the App Store on your Mac.
2. Find the app that you want to share.
   
3. Scroll down to Supports. If you can share the app with your family, you'll see Family Sharing listed.
   

Learn more about Family Sharing

Family Sharing requires a personal Apple ID signed in to iCloud and the App Store and iTunes Store. Family Sharing makes it easy for up to six family members to share App Store, music, movie, TV, and book purchases, an Apple Music family subscription, an Apple Arcade subscription, an Apple News+ subscription, Apple TV channels subscriptions, an Apple TV+ subscription, and an iCloud storage plan. Your family can also share photos, calendars, and reminders. You can even help find each others' missing devices or share your location.

Music, movies, TV shows, and books can be downloaded on up to 10 devices per account, 5 of which can be computers. iOS 8 and later and OS X Yosemite and later are required to set up or join a Family Sharing group, but we recommend that you update to the latest iOS or iPadOS and the latest macOS. Not all content is eligible for Family Sharing. Content can be hidden by family members; hidden content is not available for download. Content downloaded from family members or acquired via redemption codes is not subject to Ask to Buy.

If one of your family members was assigned content to their Managed Apple ID from Apple School Manager, you won’t see it in their shared purchases. This includes apps and other content distributed through the school.

In part one of our Guide to Family Sharing, we learned how to set up the service. In part two of our Guide to Family Sharing, we’ll take a look at how to share various purchases and subscriptions, and make use of shared Photos and iCloud storage.

There are a number of other items that can be shared with family members, including calendars, reminders, and the Apple Bookstore. But the ones we mentioned above seem to be the most popular.

Subscription Sharing

Family sharing allows you to share various subscriptions to Apple services, including:

• Apple Music
• Apple TV Channels
• Apple Arcade
• Apple News+

In some cases, a Family subscription at a slightly higher price is required, such as with Apple Music, while other subscriptions have no additional cost for Family Sharing. Sharing a subscription is similar across all of the Apple offerings, so we will demonstrate sharing Apple Music as an example.

Note: Some subscription types may require specific versions of the Mac OS or iOS. If you’re planning to share a subscription, make sure each family member is using the appropriate version of the operating system on their devices.

macOS Catalina and later: Launch System Preferences and select the Family Sharing preference pane.

macOS Mojave and earlier: Launch System Preferences and select the iCloud preference pane, then click the Manage Family button, followed by selecting the My Apps & Services tab.

Select the Apple Music item.

If you don’t have a current subscription, click the Start a Free Trial button. This will open the Music app (macOS Catalina or later) or the iTunes app (macOS Mojave and earlier), where you can subscribe to the Apple Music service. Be sure and select the Family plan.

Once the Apple Music subscription is set up, you’ll see the updated status in the Family Sharing or iCloud preference pane.

Family members are able to sign in to Apple Music with their own Apple ID, and play, download, and stream music from the iTunes or Music app. Each family member has their own music library, and access to an iCloud Music Library they can use with just about any device.

You can find out more about using Apple Music in the Rocket Yard guide: Almost Everything You Need to Know About Apple Music.

Most of the other Apple subscription services work the same way with Family Sharing. The Family Sharing/iCloud preference pane can be used to subscribe to a service that will be shared with family members. Otherwise, the preference pane serves more to show if you’re subscribed or able to use the service.

If you’re the one who subscribed to an Apple service, you can manage the subscription using the Rocket Yard guide: Master Your Apple Subscriptions.

Sharing App Store Purchases

Most apps that you have purchased can be shared with other Family Sharing members, though there are a number of exceptions:

• App developers can choose to have their apps be unavailable for Family Sharing, though many app creators allow Family Sharing.
• The purchaser of an app can choose to hide it from other Family Sharing members. This will not hide the fact that it was purchased; it only prevents the app from being shared with other members.
• In-app purchases are not shared.
• Apps that are no longer available from the App Store can’t be shared.

To download and use a shared app, do the following:

macOS Mojave and later

Download shared apps: Open the App Store and select your name at the bottom of the sidebar. A list of purchased apps will be displayed.

From the Purchased by dropdown menu, select the individual family sharing member whose app you wish to download and use.

Find the app you wish to download and click or tap the download button.

The app will be downloaded and installed on your Mac.

You can find the app in the /Applications folder or as a new entry in the LaunchPad app.

Hide shared apps: There may be times when you don’t want others to be able to use a specific app you’ve purchased. You can hide an app from others with this process:

In the App Store, select your name at the bottom of the sidebar. A list of purchased apps will be displayed.

Make sure the Purchased dropdown menu is set to your name.

Scan through the list of purchased apps until you find the one you wish to hide.

Hover over the app name till you see three ellipses (…) appear next to the download button.

Click the ellipses and select Hide Purchase from the popup menu.

A sheet will appear, asking you to confirm that you wish to hide the selected app. Click the Hide Purchase button.

Unhide shared apps: In the App Store, select your name from the sidebar.

In the top right, select the View Information button.

You may be asked to provide your Apple ID.

In the Account Information sheet that opens, find the Hidden Items section, then click on the Manage button.

Find the app you wish to make available to other members, and then click the Unhide button.

macOS High Sierra or earlier

Download shared apps: Launch the App Store, usually located in the Dock as well as in the /Applications folder.

Select the Purchased tab. You may need to log in with your Apple ID to access the purchase history.

At the top of the page, use the Purchased dropdown menu to select the family member who has the app you wish to download and use.

Locate the desired app from the list and then click the Install button.

The app will download to, and be installed on, your Mac.

Hide shared apps: From the Purchased tab, scroll through the list of apps till you find the one you wish to hide.

Right-click on the app’s name, and then select Hide Purchase from the popup menu.

A sheet will drop down asking you to confirm that you wish to hide the selected app. Click the Hide Purchase button.

Unhide shared apps: From the Store menu of the App Store, select View My Account.

You may be asked to sign in with your Apple ID.

The Account Information page will open. Scroll down to the Hidden Items section and select the Manage button.

A list of hidden apps will be displayed. Find the one you wish to make visible and select the Unhide button.

Is an App Eligible for Family Sharing?

Not all apps are allowed to participate in Family Sharing. You can find out if an app you’re interested in can be shared by doing the following:

Launch the App Store and find an app you’re interested in purchasing.

View the app’s information page by clicking on the app’s name.

In macOS Mojave and later, scroll down through the information about the app until you come to the Support section.

If you see Family Sharing listed, the app can be shared.

In macOS High Sierra and earlier, look at the far right section of the app’s page and locate the Information section. The Family Sharing status will be listed as Yes or No.

Note: Remember, when purchasing an app that you plan to share, any in-app purchases are not included. This can be important for some apps where the basic app is free or inexpensive but requires a subscription to get the most out of the app. In most cases, the subscription is an in-app purchase and can’t be shared with other family members.

Photo Sharing

Family Sharing members can share photos they take directly from the Photos app. If you open the Photos app, you’ll see that a new album has been added in the Photo app’s Shared section of the sidebar. The new album is called Family; any picture that a Family Sharing member has set to be shared will appear in the Family Album.

You can share an image by locating the photo you wish to share and right-clicking or command-clicking on the image and selecting Share, Shared Album from the popup menu. A list of shared albums you have set up, including the Family Album, will be displayed. Select the Family Album, and the image will be shared with all family members.

You can remove a shared image by opening the Family Album, right-clicking on the image you wish to remove, and selecting Delete from Shared Album. A sheet will drop down to warn you that deleting the image from the shared album will remove the image from all your devices and any subscribers (family members) devices. Click the Delete button to remove the image.

Share iCloud Storage

Family Sharing allows you to share a 200 GB or 2 TB iCloud storage plan with all of your family sharing members. Your information remains private, just like a normal iCloud storage plan. The difference is that available storage space is shared among all members.

Shared iCloud storage doesn’t work with the free 5 GB storage plan. If you want to share one of the larger storage plans, the family organizer should upgrade their iCloud storage plan first.

macOS Catalina and later: Open System Preferences and select the Family Sharing preference pane.

Select the iCloud Storage item in the sidebar.

Click the Share button and follow the on-screen instructions.

Tip: If you don’t see a share option, you likely need to upgrade to one of the paid storage plans.

macOS Mojave and earlier: Open System Preferences and select the iCloud preference pane.

Select the Manage Family option from the sidebar.

Select the My Apps & Services tab.

Select iCloud Storage from the sidebar.

Click the Start Sharing button and follow any on-screen instructions.

Screen Share With Mac

Sharing is Fun

Using Family Sharing is a great way to not only share apps, subscriptions, and other purchases but to help keep costs down within a family. We’ve only touched on the more popular sharing options; there are plenty of others. If you’ve been using Family Sharing with any of the sharing options, let us know how you’re making use of them in the comments section below. Be sure to include any issues you’ve come across, to help other readers.

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