After comparing Apple Music’s $14 family plan to that of Spotify’s last week, we’ve kept up the family theme with this article.
Since iOS 8 it’s been possible to share your App Store and iTunes as well as sharing your calendar information and photo libraries. Setting it all up doesn’t take too much and it’s an incredibly useful feature for those who want share across devices.
When Apple call it Family Sharing they mean just that. You can share across up to six devices; which makes the price of that hefty music collection seem comparatively cheap.
To setup Family Sharing you will need iOS 8 as aforementioned. Then, if you’re using an iPhone, iPad or iPod, simply:
Visit Settings -> Access iCloud -> Select Set Up Family Sharing
Apple then guide you through the setting up process and you’ll be given an introduction into your ‘role’ as organiser.
Essentially, this just refers to the fact that whilst everyone in your group of six can share content, each of you retains control over your individual accounts.
Fortunately, a child’s account can’t be registered alongside a credit card so fiascos akin to children making large in-app purchases won’t be a problem here.
If you’re trying to set it up on a Mac, you’ll need OS X Yosemite. Once you’ve got this set up follow these steps:
Visit System Preferences -> Select iCloud -> Select the Set Up Family Sharing option -> Now simply follow the onscreen instructions to complete set up
Now it’s time to set up your sharing group. It’s extremely easy to set this process up:
Visit Settings -> Select iCloud -> Select Family -> Select Add Family Member -> Then type in said Family Member’s email address to complete the process.
On a Mac the process is relatively similar:
Visit Settings -> Select iCloud -> Select Manage Family -> Click ‘+’ -> Add the specific family member using their email address.
And there you have it, now you can share all your purchases with your family!
