Family Sharing is useful if you and your family share multiple Apple devices. This allows you to share your Apple service subscription with them without sharing your Apple ID. This includes Apple services such as iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, and Apple Arcade.
There are several ways to add up to five members (excluding yourself) to a Family Sharing group. You can either create a family group or add members to an existing one. Here’s how to add members to Family Sharing using iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
- What to Look for About Family Sharing
- How to create a family group and invite people
- How to join a family group in Family Sharing
What to Look for About Family Sharing
- You can only join one family group with one Apple ID.
- Family group organizers must have family sharing plans for this to work.
- If you can’t accept the invitation, check if your account is registered on another device.
- If you joined a family group on iPhone or iPad and use the same account on Mac, you don’t need to join from Mac separately.
How to create a family group and invite people
Using iPhone or iPad:
- Go to settings.
- Tap Apple ID.
- Family Sharing → Continue.
- Invite family members.
Now, once they accept the invitation, they can access the services you choose to share with your family.
Mac Usage:
- Go to System Preferences.
- Click the Family Sharing tab next to your Apple ID.
- Tap Start.
- To invite family members, click “Invite People”.
- Now you can see and manage participants from one menu.
How to join a family group in Family Sharing
Join using iPhone or iPad:
- Click on the Family Sharing invitation pop-up.
- Click Show invitation.
- Click “Join Family”.
Join using a Mac:
- When you were invited by a family organizer.
- Click “Join Family”.
- Once you join a family, you will be able to use host subscriptions.
Once you’re done with that, you’ll be able to access all the subscriptions that your family owns.
Conclusion:
Family Sharing is a pretty decent feature provided by Apple. You can track your family’s usage and limit inappropriate content for your child. You can even track their overall usage statistics.
If your entire family is in the Apple ecosystem, I would suggest subscribing to family sharing plans as they can even save you big money and provide you with convenient features.