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Apple to End iTunes Allowances on May 25
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Well suggesting to use iTunes Gifts is nice, which is what we've been doing to set "allowances" on our iTunes, we constantly get flagged to contact iTunes and they tell us its this "new security mechanism" to "protected your card"....huh?
We consume a ton of iTunes content and unless they plan on sterilizing this new "security mechanism" its going to be a pain in the ass. Especially when I was told it was because of too many charge backs in iTunes...never have created one, only asked if I could get credit towards and accidental SD purchase to HD. Which they stated at any point my iTunes account could be locked and or permanently disabled...which with all of our content sitting there is kind of ****ing spooky.
We consume a ton of iTunes content and unless they plan on sterilizing this new "security mechanism" its going to be a pain in the ass. Especially when I was told it was because of too many charge backs in iTunes...never have created one, only asked if I could get credit towards and accidental SD purchase to HD. Which they stated at any point my iTunes account could be locked and or permanently disabled...which with all of our content sitting there is kind of ****ing spooky.
I think setting an allowance is part of parenting. having an automated system assist with that instead of having to micromanage it is nice. kind of like dishwashers, or child safety locks on doors, among other things that assist you in your parental existence
uhm...isnt that what an allowance is? theoretically you could call a job paycheck an "allowance"..so whats the difference?
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I am sure there are better ways to teach kids the value of money, than an Apple ecosystem. Use the methods that have existed before Apple existed.
Also, as a side note, what happened to giving kids credit cards with a preset limit? I am assuming we are talking teens who can be given addon credit cards. So, if we are talking about teaching money to a 5 year old using an Apple app store method, you are doing it wrong anyway.
how is that credit card any different? the point is not proven I think everything is just whining about something that really isn't a and or thing, its a if you want to utilize it to streamline the way you handle iTunes purchases there you go...
I think the issue is, "When is an allowance not an allowance?" Before Family Sharing, an allowance really was that - if there was no credit card on the account, then when the allowance was gone, it was gone. However, Family Sharing requires that there be a credit card on the "organizer's" account; once a gift card or allowance has been spent, purchases roll over to the credit card.
I can only guess, but I suspect that families that moved to Family Sharing may have felt that the word "allowance" was somewhat deceptive at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple introduces a different way to manage monthly spending.
Ask to Buy is only available for the 13-and-under accounts, and I can fully appreciate why Apple (and parents) want purchase-by-purchase approval for kids of that age. What's been missing in Family Sharing is a way to manage spending by family members who are over 13 (other than setting Restrictions, which may seem pretty heavy-handed to a teen).
I can see how Apple would want to move families into Family Sharing - if a new allowance-style feature is added to Family Sharing (and only to Family Sharing), it could encourage more families to join.
I can only guess, but I suspect that families that moved to Family Sharing may have felt that the word "allowance" was somewhat deceptive at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple introduces a different way to manage monthly spending.
Ask to Buy is only available for the 13-and-under accounts, and I can fully appreciate why Apple (and parents) want purchase-by-purchase approval for kids of that age. What's been missing in Family Sharing is a way to manage spending by family members who are over 13 (other than setting Restrictions, which may seem pretty heavy-handed to a teen).
I can see how Apple would want to move families into Family Sharing - if a new allowance-style feature is added to Family Sharing (and only to Family Sharing), it could encourage more families to join.
Exactly. Essentially it is between parents and kids to handle and learn money. Not Apple and its ecosystems.
hate families? /sarcasm
So Apple's cutting off everyone's allowance. See, this is what happens when you don't clean your room. 
Just a guess - It minimizes conflicts that would happen with changes to the backend - Like double charging, along with new features not working properly, so better to just dump existing data. The public beta is most likely in early July again, so not that far away.
I didn't even know this was a thing, lol. But with recent iOS versions (8 or 9) allowing your kid to send an app purchase request to your phone, it's probably less needed. I'd rather everything just be in one big iTunes family account so I can have more control over what they're doing. Hopefully in iOS X they could automatically keep tabs of how much each child has requested so we don't have to tally it up ourselves. My kid isn't old enough for her own device, but it would be nice to have in a few years.
Anyone seen any iTunes gift card sales? I loaded up hundreds of dollars 20% off over a year ago and I'm finally starting to run low since I've been buying more movies on my ATV4.
Anyone seen any iTunes gift card sales? I loaded up hundreds of dollars 20% off over a year ago and I'm finally starting to run low since I've been buying more movies on my ATV4.
I'm sure they have their reasons for doing this, but I think it's a bad move. I used this service for about three years to automatically put $20 a month into a close friend of mine's son's iTunes account. I obviously didn't want to put him on my family sharing account, and I wouldn't have wanted to remember to buy a gift every month. Kind of dumb to remove it, IMO.
This is already happening, thanks to the new On-Demand Resources feature introduced in iOS 9. It allows apps to download only what they need immediately and in the foreseeable future to the user's device (eg. the current and next five levels of a game). Part of the space-saving strategies that include App Slices.
Thanks, but making parenting decisions from some stranger on the internet is wrong. In case you haven't noticed, we're moving AWAY from credit cards. There's this thing called Apple Pay. Also, what other method do you suggest? Sending my 10 and 6 yo kids off to get groceries? They're kids. The only purchasing decisions they make right now are around apps and the occasional trip to the toy store.
What's wrong with that? I remember my parents used to send me to the store with a shopping list to get groceries when I was that age. Well, maybe not 6 but most certainly by the time I was 10.
Apple Pay does not do away with credit cards. It's essentially a way to validate credit card purchases for existing credit/debit card accounts. The physical card goes away, but the account is what really matters.
I'm not sure how "some stranger on the internet" is making parenting decisions. If you mean that Apple took away one tool that you used for implementing your parenting decisions... they also created that tool. Apple giveth...
I'm another one of those kids who was sent to the store to buy groceries. Cash, of course. Learned a lot about selecting fresh produce as well as how to handle money.
Not likely they'll do that. Family Sharing is effectively "merging" - the difference is that accounts can also be un-merged. Kids grow up and leave the nest, couples break up... seems better to me to let people take "their" stuff with them, and to start paying for their own stuff when that time comes.
Common/merged accounts often means everyone in the family knows the password. You might be amazed how often kids (and exes) take advantage of that fact to hijack their parent's/ex's (or friend's parent's) account - change the primary email address, then change the password. Separate accounts and passwords for the people "in charge" makes a lot of sense.
Down the road... yeah, once someone splits off of a family share, they may have to buy stuff that had previously been shared from another family member's account. But in many cases, only one person wanted a particular song or app in the first place - seems to make more sense to leave with some stuff than to leave everything behind.
Or...you know...like, actively parent your kids instead of coasting along having a Corp do it for you....here's also the gift card solution. Or family sharing.
That's what FamilyShare does - any member of a family group can access iTunes purchases of other group members and download/stream them... my siblings and I share several TV show season passes via FamilyShare.
I wish. I'm tired of having a separate iTunes and iCloud account. I've been wanting to combine them for years.