Family Sharing, a feature Apple introduced in iOS 8, addresses a long-standing issue in the world of the iPhone and iTunes: helping families share content bought or downloaded by one member of the family. When Family Sharing is set up, any member of the family who is part of the group can download any music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books downloaded by any other person—which saves money and lets the entire family enjoy the same entertainment.
In order to use Family Sharing, you first have to set it up. To do that, everyone needs:
- An iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad
- iOS 8 or higher
- An Apple ID/iTunes account.
Once all those requirements are met, follow these steps to set up Family Sharing:
- One of the parents of the family should set up Family Sharing. The person who initially sets it up will be the Organizer, the role that has the most control over how Family Sharing works. Decide who will be the Organizer
- On the Organizer's iOS device, tap the Settings app to open it
- Scroll down to iCloud and tap it
- On the iCloud screen, tap Set Up Family Sharing.