How to Set Up iCloud Family Sharing and Save Money on Apple Subscriptions

Introduction

Family Sharing lets you and up to five other family members share access to Apple services, purchases, an iCloud storage plan, and more. You can even help locate each other’s missing devices. This is a great way to share your iCloud storage, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and other Apple subscriptions with up to five other people in your family. You can also use Family Sharing to share music, movies, books, TV shows, as well as other content, apps purchased through iTunes and App Store, location, and more. Family Sharing also sets up a family calendar where everyone can view, add, or change events and appointments, and get an alert when something changes.

To set up this sharing feature, you'll need an Apple ID and a device running iOS 10 or later, iPadOS 13 or later, macOS Catalina or later, or watchOS 6 or later. Children under 13 can’t create an Apple ID on their
own

Benefits

• Shared iCloud storage: You can share up to 200GB of iCloud storage with your family members. This means that you can all store your photos, videos, documents, and more in one place.
• Shared Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and Apple TV+ subscriptions: You can share your Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and Apple TV+ subscriptions with your family members. This means that you can all enjoy these apple services without having to pay for them individually.
• Shared purchases: You can share purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, and Mac App Store with your family members. This means that you can all enjoy the latest books, apps, games, movies, and music without having to buy them individually.
• Shared location: You can share your location with your family members. This is a great way to stay connected and know where everyone is.
• Screen Time limits: You can set up Screen Time limits for your family members. This is a great way to help them stay safe online and avoid spending too much time on their devices.
• Purchase approval: You can approve or decline purchases made by other family members. This is a great way to make sure that your family members are not spending too much money.

How to set up

To set up this feature, follow these steps:

1. On your device, open the Settings app.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap Family Sharing.
4. If you don't see Family Sharing, tap Set Up Family Sharing.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions to create a Family Sharing group.
6. Invite your family members to join your Family Sharing group.
7. Once your family members have joined your group, you can start sharing your iCloud storage, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and other Apple subscriptions with them.

How to share iCloud storage with your family

To share iCloud storage with your family, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Manage Storage.
5. Tap Buy More Storage.
6. Tap Set Up Family Storage.
7. Follow the onscreen instructions to share iCloud storage with your family.

How to share Apple Music with your family

To share Apple Music with your family, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap Music.
4. Tap Family Sharing.
5. Toggle on Share Apple Music.
6. Enter the Apple ID of the person you want to share Apple Music with.
7. Tap Share.

How to share Apple Arcade with your family

To share Apple Arcade with your family, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap Arcade.
4. Tap Family Sharing.
5. Toggle on Share Apple Arcade.
6. Enter the Apple ID of the person you want to share Apple Arcade with.
7. Tap Share.

How to share Apple TV+ with your family

To share Apple TV+ with your family, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap TV+.
4. Tap Family Sharing.
5. Toggle on Share Apple TV+.
6. Enter the Apple ID of the person you want to share Apple TV+ with.
7. Tap Share.

How to share purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, and Mac App Store with your family

To share purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, and Mac App Store with your family, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Tap your name at the top of the screen.
3. Tap iTunes & App Store.
4. Tap Purchase

Each person who wants to participate must have an Apple account. One person in the household acts as the family organizer to manage access. That person then invites other family members to join. Upon accepting the invitation, each family member gets immediate access to all the subscriptions, purchases, and other items eligible for sharing. You and up to five other family members can share Apple services such as Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News, Apple Arcade, and Apple Card through Family Sharing.

As the organizer of an iCloud Family Sharing group, you can control who is in the group, what they can access, and how much they can spend. Here are some things you can do:

• Add or remove family members. You can add or remove family members from your group at any time. To do this, open the Settings app on your device and tap on your name. Then, tap on Family Sharing and tap on Add Family Member. Enter the email address of the person you want to add and follow the instructions. To remove a family member, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on the name of the family member you want to remove. Tap Remove from Family Sharing.
• Change settings for family members. You can change the settings for family members, such as their Apple ID password, spending limits, and access to apps and features. To do this, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on the name of the family member you want to change settings for.
• View family spending. You can view how much money your family has spent on apps, in-app purchases, and other items. To do this, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on Purchase Sharing.
• Get help. If you need help with it, you can contact Apple Support.

How to Set Time Limits for Specific Apps

Here are some ways to control and manage time usage for your family members with iCloud Family Sharing:

• Set App Limits. You can limit the amount of time that family members can spend on specific apps. To do this, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on Screen Time. Under Screen Time, tap on App Limits. Tap on the app that you want to limit, and then set a time limit.
• Set Downtime. You can schedule times when family members can't use their devices. To do this, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on Screen Time. Under Screen Time, tap on Downtime. Tap on the Start and End time, and then tap Set.
• Set Content & Privacy Restrictions. You can restrict the types of content that family members can access. To do this, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on Screen Time. Under Screen Time, tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions. You can restrict things like explicit content, web browsing, and location sharing.
• View Reports. You can view reports that show how much time family members are spending on their devices and what apps they're using. To do this, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on Screen Time. Under Screen Time, tap on See All Activity. You can view reports for individual family members or for the whole family.

What are the Parental Control Features?

iCloud Family Sharing also offers several parental control features to help parents monitor their children's activities online. Here are some of the key features:

Age Restrictions

Parents can set age restrictions on content such as apps, movies, TV shows, and music, to ensure that their children only have access to age-appropriate content.

Screen Time

Parents can set limits on how much time their children spend on their devices. Screen Time also provides detailed reports on app usage, so parents can see which apps their children are spending the most time on. Using it, you can review your kids’ activity reports and set time limits for specific apps from your own device.

Content Restrictions

Parents can also set content restrictions to block access to certain websites, restrict access to explicit language, and block adult content.

Purchase Sharing

Parents can set up purchase sharing, which allows children to ask for permission before making a purchase. This helps parents keep control over their family's spending.

Ask to Buy

Ask to Buy is a feature that notifies parents when their children try to make an app store purchases. Parents can then approve or decline the purchase from their own device.

How to Set Parental Controls

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Tap on your name.
3. Tap on Family Sharing.
4. Tap on the name of the child you want to set parental controls for.
5. Tap on Screen Time.
6. Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
7. Enter your Screen Time Passcode.
8. Toggle on the features you want to restrict.

Here are some of the features you can restrict:

• App Ratings: You can restrict the types of apps that your child can download.
• Web Content: You can restrict the types of websites that your child can visit.
• Purchases: You can require your permission for your child to make purchases.
• Location Sharing: You can allow or disallow your child to share their location with you.
• More: There are other features you can restrict, such as contact access, microphone access, camera access, and screen time limits.

Once you've set parental controls, you can view reports to see how your child is using their device. To do this, open the Settings app, tap on your name, tap on Family Sharing, and then tap on Screen Time. Under Screen Time, tap on See All Activity. You can view reports for individual family members or for the whole family.

In conclusion, Apple's this feature is a great way to save money and stay connected with your family. By following the steps in this article, you can set up this sharing feature and start sharing your iCloud storage, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and more with your loved ones today.

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