Family Sharing On Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

This post will demonstrate how to configure Family Sharing on any Apple device you own. Although we will be working with macOS Mojave and iOS 12, the process is the same for all other supported operating system platforms.

Advantages of Sharing With Family

After establishing Family Sharing, you won't need to purchase products separately from that point on. When one member of the Family buys an app, book, or another piece of content from one of Apple's digital shops, that item is instantly made accessible to be downloaded for free by all of the other members of the Family. A further benefit is that you can establish limitations for younger members of your family. This means that when a youngster requests to purchase anything, an alert will display on an adult's phone. If you choose to activate this option, the child won't be able to buy until the family administrator gives their OK, even if they have the permission to do so.

Set Up Family Sharing On an iPad or iPhone

The Family Sharing feature on an iPad or iPhone offers the most user-friendly configuration options. (You can also set it up on a Mac, which is a little tricky; we will look at this later in the post.) Launch the app that controls settings. If you've submitted one, your name and profile photo will appear at the very top of the page. To see the settings for your Apple ID, tap here. Now, hit the option that says "Set up Family sharing..." (If you've previously set up the service, it will just state Family Sharing here.)

Settings

You will now see a series of windows that you can breeze through pretty quickly; however, if you are interested, they contain a brief description of the features that you will be able to use with Family Sharing. On the first screen, tap the button labeled Get Started. On the second and third screens, tap the Continue button.

The Method of Payment

Through Family Sharing, you may not only share applications and other digital items with your family members, but you can also share location data with them. On the next page, you will be prompted to choose whether or not other members will have access to your location data. If they accept your invitation, they will then be able to select whether or not they want to share their location. ((At this point, you may desire to offer explicit directions about which alternative they should take!)

Include Family Members on Your iOS Device

Touch Family Sharing (the option referred to before as Set Up Family Sharing), and then tap Add Family Member from the screen that displays your Apple ID inside Settings. You will be given a choice to invite them in person or over iMessage. Additionally, there will be a specialized option and procedure for establishing kid accounts, which is necessary given that users under 13 years old are not permitted to create their own Apple IDs.

Options for Sending Invitations Using iPad

You may be required to verify that you are the family organizer and have permission to do so before the invites are sent out. You will be required to provide the security code for the credit or debit card that has been connected. Suppose you choose to communicate with iOS using iMessage. In that case, the operating system will now generate a message for you that provides a concise summary of what Family Sharing comprises and directions on how to join the group. You only need to write in the contact information of the potential family member, make any further notes explaining the situation, and then press the send button.

Add Members of Your Family on MacOS

Now that you have Family Sharing on your Mac, it is time to add a family member, all setup and ready to go. The following is a guide for bringing new members into your Family:

• Launch System Preferences, go to iCloud, and then choose the Manage Family option.
• To add a new member to the Family, go to the bottom left of the screen and click on the plus symbol.
• Click the Continue button after entering the family member's email address. (Alternatively, if they are already in your contacts, you can just put their name into the search bar and choose the appropriate individual from the list. Or even the name they go by in the Game Center.)
• Enter the three-digit CVV security code that can be found on the back of the payment card that is connected with your account. This will verify that you are the family organizer. Don't stop here; continue.