Family Sharing lets one person buy apps once and share them with up to five other family members
Family Sharing is an Apple feature that lets you buy an app, book, or subscription once and let other people in your household use it without buying it again. One adult sets up a Family Sharing group, adds family members (including children), and then everyone can read the same paid apps to their own iPhones. The person who buys the app pays once; everyone else gets it free.
This works for apps you purchase outright, subscriptions like Apple Music or iCloud+, and some in-app purchases. It does not work for apps that require a login specific to one person — like banking apps or email accounts tied to a single address.
You need an Apple ID for each person in the group, an iCloud account, and to be on the same Wi-Fi network when you first set it up. After that, family members can read shared apps from anywhere.
Key Takeaways
- One adult organizes the Family Sharing group and becomes the account holder responsible for purchases and parental controls.
- You can add up to five other family members, including children, and they each need their own Apple ID.
- Apps purchased by any adult in the group become available to read for all other members at no extra cost.
- The organizer can set spending limits for children and control what apps they can read.
- Family members must be added through Settings on an iPhone, and the group works across iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
How to set up Family Sharing on your iPhone
Open Settings and tap your name at the top. Scroll down and tap Family Sharing. Tap get your free guide, then Create a Family Group. You will see your own Apple ID listed as the organizer — this is the account that will manage the group and approve purchases for children.
Tap Add Family Member. You can invite people by entering their Apple ID email address, or you can add a child and create a new Apple ID for them on the spot. If you are adding a child under 13 (the age varies by country), Apple will create a managed account that you control. If you are adding an adult, they will receive an invitation they must accept.
Once someone accepts the invitation, they appear in your Family Sharing group. Everyone in the group can now see purchases made by other adults and read them to their own device. Children can only read apps that the organizer has approved.
How to read a shared app to your iPhone
Open the App Store and search for an app that someone else in your Family Sharing group has bought. Instead of a price, you will see a cloud icon with a down arrow. Tap it. The app will read and install on your iPhone using the account of the person who purchased it.
You do not need to know the password of the person who bought the app. Your own Apple ID stays on your phone, and the app straightforward appears in your library as if you own it. You can update it, delete it, and reinstall it whenever you want.
If an app was purchased by someone in your group but is no longer available in the App Store, you can still read it if you have downloaded it before. This is useful for older apps that the developer no longer maintains.
How to manage purchases and set spending limits for children
The organizer of the Family Sharing group can control what children read and how much money they spend. Open Settings, tap your name, then Family Sharing. Tap the child's name, then Screen Time.
Under Content & Privacy Restrictions, you can set age limits for apps, books, movies, and music. You can also turn on Require Purchase Approval, which means the child must ask your permission before downloading anything — even free apps. When they request an app, you get a notification and can approve or decline it.
If you want to give a child a monthly allowance to spend on apps, you can set up Ask to Buy with a spending limit. The child can request purchases up to that limit, and you approve them. Once the limit is reached, they cannot request anything else until the next month.
What happens when someone leaves your Family Sharing group
If an adult leaves the group, apps they purchased remain on everyone else's phone and continue to work. However, if you remove a child from the group, any apps that only that child had access to will stop working on their device after a short period.
If the organizer of the Family Sharing group leaves, the group dissolves. Everyone keeps the apps they have already downloaded, but no one can read new shared apps until a new organizer is chosen. To prevent this, you can transfer the organizer role to another adult in the group before you leave.
Apps and subscriptions that do not work with Family Sharing
Some apps require a personal login or account that cannot be shared. Banking apps, email clients, and apps tied to a single subscription (like Spotify or Netflix) usually do not work with Family Sharing because they are tied to one person's account. If you try to read one of these apps, you will see a price instead of a cloud icon, meaning it is not shared.
Subscriptions like Apple Music, Apple TV+, and iCloud+ do work with Family Sharing — everyone in the group can use them on their own device. However, some third-party subscriptions sold through the App Store may not be shared, depending on how the developer set them up.
If you are unsure whether an app is shareable, look at the App Store listing. It will say "Offers Family Sharing" near the top if the app qualifies.
Troubleshooting common Family Sharing problems
If an app does not appear as shared, make sure both people are using the same Family Sharing group. Open Settings > your name > Family Sharing and check that you both appear in the list. If someone was just added, wait a few minutes for the group to sync across Apple's servers.
If a child cannot read an app, the organizer may have set age restrictions that block it. Check Settings > your name > Family Sharing > the child's name > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions to see what age limit is set for apps. You can raise it if needed.
If an app keeps asking for a password when you try to use it, it may require a personal login that Family Sharing does not cover. Check the app's settings to see if you need to sign in with a specific account. Some apps allow multiple people to use them on one device if they each log in separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share apps with people who do not live with me?
Family Sharing is designed for people in the same household. Apple does not enforce a location check, but the terms of service require that members live together. Sharing with people outside your home may violate Apple's terms.
What happens to shared apps if I cancel my Apple Music subscription?
Apps you purchased stay on everyone's phone and continue to work. Only the subscription itself ends — the apps themselves are separate purchases. If you bought an app and also subscribe to Apple Music, canceling the subscription does not remove the app.
Can I hide an app from other family members?
Not directly. All adults in the Family Sharing group can see what other adults have purchased. However, you can delete an app from your own device so it does not appear in your library, and you can set age restrictions to prevent children from downloading certain apps.
Do I need to be on Wi-Fi to set up Family Sharing?
You should be on Wi-Fi when you first create the group and add members, though it is not strictly required. After setup, family members can read shared apps over Wi-Fi or cellular data from anywhere.
Can I transfer an app I bought to someone else's account?
No. Once you buy an app, it stays tied to your Apple ID. The only way to share it is through Family Sharing. If you want someone else to own it, they have to buy it themselves.