Apple Begins Asking Developers to Turn On Family Sharing for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite Apps

[MacRumors]

Just a couple days after announcing Family Sharing, a feature that allows families to share iTunes and App Store purchases, Apple has begun emailing developers to ask them to turn on the feature in their iTunes Connect developer portal.

While Family Sharing is a significant addition to the App Store, the opt-in requirement for developers could see some declining to allow their apps to be shared amongst as many as six accounts with no extra charge.

To make your apps available as part of Family Sharing, agree to the updated iOS Paid Applications and/or Mac Paid Applications agreement in Contracts, Tax and Banking on iTunes Connect. To ensure that Family Sharing is also enabled for previously purchased apps, leave the appropriate checkbox selected on the agreements page.

Family Sharing also allows families to share calendars, reminders, photos and locations. It also allows parents to monitor and approve downloads and purchases made by their children remotely. The feature is likely to get turned on and tested in the iOS 8 betas before going live when iOS 8 is available for the public later this year.

Article Link: Apple Begins Asking Developers to Turn On Family Sharing for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite Apps

 

[stiligFox]

This is one of those things that a developer would need a really good reason not to allow this. Otherwise it may come across as a dev just being greedy. It's going to be a fine balance!

That said, I'm really looking forward to this for iTunes music/movies purchases.

 

[newagemac]

Here's a nugget that most people don't know about. You could always share purchased iPhone/iPad apps among your family using Apple's Home Sharing feature in iTunes which has been available for many years now. This new Family Sharing thing is just more visible, adds more features, and is more automated.

Also MacRumors should clarify that from now on, it appears Family Sharing is required when selling in the App Store. There is nothing to turn on or off for developers. The only thing the checkbox applies to is for previously purchased apps.

 

[surfingarbo]

When I was a kid, I would never share games with my sister.

Reflecting back on many years ago, it is a good thing to share.

 

[AstronomyiPhone]

Sounds like it could work well.

 

[3bs]

Here's a nugget that most people don't know about. You could always share purchased iPhone/iPad apps among your family using Apple's Home Sharing which has been available for many years now.

Doesn't that require iTunes?

 

[grjj]

No reason not to

First... Family Sharing doesn't enable anything new. Between Home Sharing and just plain syncing apps to a device, it was possible to do much of this before. This just makes it simple, ubiquitous and adds explicit protection against "my kid send $2,000 in gumdrops in his game".

From the bit of text in the article and what I've experienced at Apple, this won't be opt-in in the sense you think; I read this as allow sharing or don't agree to the new terms and you're not a developer any longer.

 

[bluespark]

If it's opt-in, I'm guessing that it won't be very popular: most of us are not going to give our apps away for free to six people when there's the potential for six purchases.

I'll do it, but I can see why many won't: sure, you could log into the owner's account, download the app, and log out, but why sacrifice the possibility that they don't do that and instead buy the app multiple times?

Because people are going to choose apps that allow this over apps that don't.

 

[Primejimbo]

This is one of those things that a developer would need a really good reason not to allow this. Otherwise it may come across as a dev just being greedy. It's going to be a fine balance!

That said, I'm really looking forward to this for iTunes music/movies purchases.

You can do this now with movies and music with home sharing.

 

[tasset]

Still trying to wrap my head around this feature if it is worth the effort as a consumer. It seems like it would be for the sharing, of apps/content but the part of the "master" account and a single credit card on file makes me wonder if it will cause pain down the road if the iphone becomes the wallet for mobile transactions.
Will this work for iTunes Match as well?

 

[captain kaos]

Hhhmm, i wonder if they have to opt in. What happens if no developers, (apart form Apples own apps), want to allow more "free" users and then the whole thing falls on is arse.

 

[AtomicGrog]

Doesn't that require iTunes?

It requires a single apple account which for me started off as fine but is now a pain as my kids grow and clearly don't want to be limited to my sole access to the account password.

 

[The Barron]

Family Sharing

This is going to be great a feature for families.

 

[solamar]

Here's a nugget that most people don't know about. You could always share purchased iPhone/iPad apps among your family using Apple's Home Sharing feature in iTunes which has been available for many years now. This new Family Sharing thing is just more visible, adds more features, and is more automated.

Also MacRumors should clarify that from now on, it appears Family Sharing is required when selling in the App Store. There is nothing to turn on or off for developers. The only thing the checkbox applies to is for previously purchased apps.

Fairly sure iTunes App is going away or at the very least going to be completely rebuilt.. I suspect it's going iCloud based.. I don't think it will have anything to do with sync'ing apps or home sharing in the long run.. Which is important then for features like Family sharing to exist to replace /update any old features that people will lose when the train comes a'callin for iTunes...

 

[landroverz7]

I have 2 accounts, one old and new, both have around $100 worth of app purchases on them, i only use the new one now. So will this feature allow me to add my old account into the family sharing, and me able to download those purchased apps?. Basically its sharing with myself, one person 2 accounts?

 

[stiligFox]

You can do this now with movies and music with home sharing.

Kinda sort of.

Currently if I am signed into my Apple TV, I can't see the movies my mom has purchased and vice versa. And since we all want to be able to see the same movies at a time on the ATV, we end up buying them all my account, even though many of those movies I don't even care for personally.

It's a rather specific problem, but sadly Home Sharing doesn't quite do what I would like.

 

[Dr Kevorkian94]

Set it up for the whole family and it works great. It even integrates with find my iPhone which I love.

 

[newagemac]

You can do this now with movies and music with home sharing.

You could already do this before with apps too. Home Sharing has never been limited to just movies and music.

----------

Kinda sort of.

Currently if I am signed into my Apple TV, I can't see the movies my mom has purchased and vice versa. And since we all want to be able to see the same movies at a time on the ATV, we end up buying them all my account, even though many of those movies I don't even care for personally.

It's a rather specific problem, but sadly Home Sharing doesn't quite do what I would like.

With Home Sharing you can copy all the apps, movies, tv shows, etc. from others on your Home Share account into your account. Then it shows up on the Apple TV in your account. So yes it has already worked although you have to manually copy/drag them over in iTunes. With music, Apple even allowed you to download from others in Home Sharing automatically.

 

[macs4nw]

…..I'm really looking forward to this for iTunes music/movies purchases.

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but you can already authorize/de-authorize up to five computers, for your purchased iTunes music content anyway.

 

[Primejimbo]

You could already do this before with apps too. Home Sharing has never been limited to just movies and music.

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With Home Sharing you can copy all the apps, movies, tv shows, etc. from others on your Home Share account into your account. Then it shows up on the Apple TV in your account. So yes it has already worked although you have to manually copy/drag them over in iTunes. With music, Apple even allowed you to download from others in Home Sharing automatically.

. True, but when the app gets an update, you have to know the password of the iTunes account that it came from. For me and my wife, it's not a big deal, but it's nice.

 

[newagemac]

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but you can already authorize/de-authorize up to five computers, for your purchased iTunes music content anyway.

Why do people keep saying this? There was never any limit to just music content. Home Sharing has always applied to any content purchased in iTunes. Including apps. Not just music.

 

[nozebleed]

.

 

[newagemac]

. True, but when the app gets an update, you have to know the password of the iTunes account that it came from. For me and my wife, it's not a big deal, but it's nice.

Yes, that was a downside for a few years but then in either iOS6 or iOS7, updates no longer required a password so I believe it rendered that point mute. I would have to check with my wife about that though because I haven't grabbed any of her apps through Home Sharing in a long time.

 

[stiligFox]

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but you can already authorize/de-authorize up to five computers, for your purchased iTunes music content anyway.

Yes but on something like the Apple TV I can only see one account's purchases at a time for movies (and music)

So if my mom bought some movies but I am signed into the Apple TV, I can't see her purchases. And vice versa. So this would alleviate that.

 

[John.B]

While Family Sharing is a significant addition to the App Store, the opt-in requirement for developers could see some declining to allow their apps to be shared amongst as many as six accounts with no extra charge.

And I could see myself declining to buy apps from developers that don't support Family Sharing.