Family Sharing lets one person buy apps once and share them with up to five other family members on their own devices
Apple's Family Sharing is a feature that lets you buy an app, book, or subscription once and let other people in your family use it on their own iPhones, iPads, or Macs without buying it again. One adult sets up the family group and manages what gets shared. The other family members see the shared apps in their own App Store and can read them to their devices.
This saves money, but it also means the person who set up Family Sharing can see what apps everyone in the group is using and can prevent certain family members from downloading apps they think are inappropriate. That control is the trade-off: convenience and savings in exchange for less privacy for the other people in your family.
Key Takeaways
- One adult organizes the family group and pays for shared apps; up to five other people can read those apps on their own devices without paying again.
- The organizer can see what apps each family member has downloaded and can hide apps from specific people or turn off app sharing entirely.
- Apps bought before Family Sharing was set up stay with the original buyer's account and are not automatically shared.
- Shared apps update automatically on everyone's device, so you cannot control when updates happen or what changes they bring.
- Family members can still buy their own apps with their own payment method if the organizer has set that up, and those apps stay private to them.
How to set up Family Sharing and add family members
On the device of the person who will organize the family (usually a parent), go to Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing > get your free guide. You will be asked to confirm your payment method and agree to be the family organizer. This person's Apple ID becomes the account that pays for shared purchases.
Once Family Sharing is set up, the organizer can add family members by going back to Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing and tapping Add Family Member. You can add people in person (they sign in with their own Apple ID on your device) or send them an invitation via email or iMessage. Family members must accept the invitation before they appear in the group.
Children under 13 can be added, but Apple requires you to set up Screen Time for them and enable Ask to Buy, which means they have to request permission before downloading anything. Adults in the family group do not have this restriction unless the organizer turns it on.
How to share apps you already own
Apps you bought after Family Sharing was set up are automatically shared with everyone in the group. They will see those apps in the App Store under the Purchased tab, labeled "In Your Family" or "Family Sharing", and can read them to their own devices.
Apps you bought before Family Sharing existed do not automatically share. To share an older app, go to the App Store, find the app, tap your profile icon, go to Purchased, find the app, and look for a Share option. Not all apps offer this — some developers disable sharing for their apps, and you cannot override that choice.
When a family member downloads a shared app, it takes up storage space on their device just like any other app. They can delete it from their device without affecting your copy or anyone else's.
What the organizer can see and control
The family organizer can see a list of all family members and which apps each person has downloaded. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing and tap a family member's name to see their app list. This is one of the main privacy trade-offs: if you are not the organizer, the organizer knows what apps you use.
The organizer can hide specific apps from specific family members. Tap the family member's name, scroll to an app, and tap Hide. That person will no longer see the app in their Purchased list and cannot read it. If they already have it installed, it will not be deleted, but they cannot reinstall it if they remove it.
The organizer can also turn off app sharing entirely for the whole family by going to Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing > Subscriptions and Purchases and toggling off Share Purchases. This stops new apps from being shared but does not remove apps already downloaded by family members.
How family members read and use shared apps
When a family member wants to read a shared app, they open the App Store on their own device, tap their profile icon, go to Purchased, and look for the In Your Family section. They tap the app and then Get or the cloud icon to read it. The app installs on their device and works like any app they bought themselves.
Shared apps update automatically when the organizer's device checks for updates. Family members cannot choose to skip an update or delay it — if the organizer's device downloads an update, it rolls out to everyone's devices within a few days. This means you have no control over when changes happen or what new features or bugs come with them.
If a family member removes a shared app from their device and the organizer later hides it, they cannot reinstall it. If the organizer removes the family member from the group, that person keeps the apps they downloaded but cannot update them or reinstall them if they delete them.
Subscriptions and in-app purchases under Family Sharing
Subscriptions bought by the organizer (like a music streaming service or a news app subscription) are shared with the whole family. Everyone can use the same account to access the subscription on their own device. The organizer's payment method is charged each month.
In-app purchases — like coins in a game or a premium feature inside an app — are not shared. If one family member buys coins in a game, only they can use those coins. Each person's in-app purchases stay with their own account.
If you want family members to be able to buy their own apps or make their own in-app purchases, the organizer can set up a payment method for them. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing, tap the family member's name, and tap Payment Method. You can add a debit card, credit card, or gift card balance to their account. They will then be able to buy apps and make in-app purchases without asking the organizer, but those purchases will be charged to the payment method you set up.
Privacy and security considerations when sharing apps
The organizer can see what apps each family member has, which means they know what you are using. If you want to read an app privately, you cannot do it through Family Sharing — you would have to buy it yourself with your own payment method. Some people set up a separate Apple ID just for apps they do not want to share.
Shared apps can access the same data on each person's device. For example, if a shared photo editing app has permission to access your photo library, it can see your photos. The organizer does not automatically see what data the app accesses, but they can check app permissions by going to Settings > Privacy on each family member's device.
If the organizer's Apple ID is compromised, the person who gains access to it can see the entire family's app list and read history. Use a strong, unique password for the organizer account and enable two-factor authentication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share apps with people who are not in my family?
No. Family Sharing is limited to people you add to your family group. If you want to share an app with a friend, you would have to buy it for them as a gift through the App Store, or they would have to buy it themselves.
What happens to shared apps if I remove someone from the family?
They keep the apps they already downloaded, but they cannot update them or reinstall them if they delete them. After about 30 days, the apps may stop working if they are not updated.
Can I share apps between iPhone and Mac?
Yes. Apps bought on an iPhone can be shared with family members on their Macs, and vice versa, as long as the app is available on both platforms. Some apps are only made for iPhone or only for Mac, so they cannot be shared across both.
Do shared apps use the same iCloud data?
No. Each family member's data stays separate. If two people have the same shared app, they each have their own saved files, settings, and account information within that app.
Can I turn off Family Sharing without removing family members?
You can turn off app sharing specifically by toggling off Share Purchases, but to completely remove Family Sharing, you have to remove all family members first. Once everyone is removed, you can delete the family group in Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing.