How Should I set up Family Share?

[laser310]

So I think I have to set up Family Share but i'm not sure of the best way to do it, and i'm not sure whether family members will like it...

I just set up a new phone, and there was some weird message about not being able to download previously purchased songs unless i use family share

My family is 4 people - each with an iphone.

the way it is now, we have 5 apple id's - two in my name, and one each for the rest of the family

one of my apple id's is the one all four of use for the app store, buying songs, movies etc. all four of us are logged into this apple store id on our phones - and so we all have access to the purchased apps and songs and so on

my other apple id is the one i use for icloud, and everyone else also has an id for icloud

so everyone is logged into two different accounts on each device

What I am thinking of doing, is making my current apple store id be the "master" id for family sharing.

then everyone, including me, will keep the same id as they have now for icloud

is that a good idea?

will it matter that the master id does not have a device associated with it? in other words nobody will be using that id as an icloud id.

what will happen to my kids who have thousands of songs, movies, books etc on their devices - will they have to re-download everything when i turn on family sharing?

thanks

ps - i couldn't find any macrumors forum that seemed to be the home for family share threads, so i posted here because our devices are mostly phones

 

[Gav2k]

Leave it as it is. Family sharing would just mess around with your setup. Also remember as much as family sharing is touted as a great they miss the part about a lot of apps not being enabled for it.

 

[dave006]

Leave it as it is. Family sharing would just mess around with your setup. Also remember as much as family sharing is touted as a great they miss the part about a lot of apps not being enabled for it.

Actually the opposite. is true. Most apps are enabled for Family Sharing. You can check that status on an app by looking in the App store detail information, there is a line that indicates if the app supports Family sharing. 😎

For the Thread starter:
Family sharing is a good way to manage iTunes / App Store purchases for minor children. Take a few minutes to review the Family Sharing Set-up information: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201088

General Family Sharing information link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201060

You don't have to have your children re-download any applications or music that they already have on their devices. Just make sure to set-up Family Sharing before you change any of log-in setting on the families other devices.

Dave

 

[G.McGilli]

I just took the plunge on this a few nights ago. My daughter is at the age where she's getting old enough to be independent - but not financially. Like the Op - for the last 8 years - we both just used my Apple ID to log into every device - and she would just ask before making any purchase.

However while she has her own iPad - she's getting her own iPhone later this month. And just to simplify everything for the future, and with regards to FaceTime and iMessage which we use often - I want her logged into all her devices, as her. And eventually - she will be able to add her own.

The only problem I had - is that I had associated her email address with my account some years ago as an alternate. And so I kept getting errors when trying to invite her to family share - I had to log into my Apple account and remove her email address from my account. Then I was able to invite her.

I have already set up her new iPhone for her ahead of time - and tonight we will be restoring her iPad as a new device - logging in with her credentials, and then she'll still have access to everything she has had before - but I'll be netter notified if she wants to purchase something when she is not at home from iPhone etc....

I say go for it - but take your time and let everyone know there might be a few hours of downtime while you too all of this properly.

 

[AFEPPL]

I have all the devices in my id and then the imsg ids are set to the individuals on their device/s.
That way all purchases are across all devices, but we share one iCloud too to maximise the use of the cloud storage we pay for.

 

[sawah]

Okay so. My family has had iPhones forever - me and the two kids. We all use my Apple ID and my iCloud. They have tons of games and things that they've already purchased. I'd like to set up family sharing so they can have their own Apple ids and not have to use mine. What are the steps I take and how much of a gigantic hassle will it be?
Also what happens if they also want to share music? Thanks in advance. I've always been afraid to do it and mess everything up.

 

[AlliFlowers]

I tried family sharing for a minute. There was no way for family members (adults) to purchase their own content, it all has to come out of the family sharing account (mine). Easier the way it was where they all have my password and can switch back and forth and purchase their own things if I don't already own it.

 

[dave006]

I tried family sharing for a minute. There was no way for family members (adults) to purchase their own content, it all has to come out of the family sharing account (mine). Easier the way it was where they all have my password and can switch back and forth and purchase their own things if I don't already own it.

Well that's how Family Sharing is setup:

"With Family Sharing, one adult in the family—the family organizer—agrees to pay for any iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases that other family members initiate while they're part of the family group. This also includes content that can't be shared with the family, such as ongoing subscription purchases initiated by family members, including iCloud storage, and iTunes Match subscriptions."

source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201079

Dave

 

[Gav2k]

I tried family sharing for a minute. There was no way for family members (adults) to purchase their own content, it all has to come out of the family sharing account (mine). Easier the way it was where they all have my password and can switch back and forth and purchase their own things if I don't already own it.

100% agree and if one of them signs up for Apple Music I get to pay for that too. Oh wait they both did!

 

[mantan]

I tried family sharing for a minute. There was no way for family members (adults) to purchase their own content, it all has to come out of the family sharing account (mine). Easier the way it was where they all have my password and can switch back and forth and purchase their own things if I don't already own it.

Agree. Family sharing may be great if you have young kids. But still seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. Much easier to share an Itunes ID for purchases and manage it yourself. Don't know if it's been fixed, but back in the early days you even had to approve every App update. Got to be a PITA for the (manager) of the account.

 

[AlliFlowers]

Well that's how Family Sharing is setup:

Yes, but it doesn't say anything about not being able to use your own account to make a purchase.

100% agree and if one of them signs up for Apple Music I get to pay for that too. Oh wait they both did!

We love our children. Rinse, repeat.

Agree. Family sharing may be great if you have young kids. But still seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.

Right. It should have been great for a spouse and a sibling/parent or two, but not when you're all adults.