Share apps and purchases with Family Sharing on your iPhone or iPad
With Family Sharing set up, the family organizer can turn on Purchase Sharing for the entire family group so everyone can share apps, music, books, and more.
How Purchase Sharing works
When the Family Sharing organizer turns on Purchase Sharing and the members enable the feature for their devices, they get access to each other's shared content. The family organizer pays for everyone's purchases unless they turn off Purchase Sharing or other adult family members use their own payment method to make purchases.* When a family member makes a purchase on their device, the family organizer might need to verify the payment method by entering the CVV.
The family organizer can also:
Check purchase history to see purchases made by family members.
Require that children in the family group request approval for purchases and free downloads.
Learn what kinds of content you can share
Turn on Purchase Sharing
On the family organizer's iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
Tap Family, then tap Purchase Sharing.
Tap Turn On.
To confirm the payment method, tap Purchase Sharing again and check the information listed under Payment Methods. This becomes the family organizer's default payment method.
Learn how to share purchases with your Family Sharing group on your Mac
Turn off Purchase Sharing
Open the Settings app, then tap Family.
Tap Purchase Sharing.
Tap Stop Purchase Sharing, then tap Stop Sharing to confirm.
When you turn off Purchase Sharing, you stop sharing your purchases and lose access to the purchases made by your other members in the Family Sharing group. However, you can still share subscriptions like iCloud+, Apple TV, and more. Learn more about sharing subscriptions with Family Sharing.
Approve a child's purchases and downloads
To see and approve what your child purchases and downloads, set up Ask to Buy. When your child asks to buy apps, movies, or other content, the Family Sharing organizer or parent/guardian receives a notification and can approve or decline the request from their device.
Learn how to turn on Ask to Buy
*If you're in a Family Sharing group, your purchases are charged to your Apple Account balance. If you don't have enough balance for the purchase, the remainder is charged to the family organizer if Purchase Sharing is turned on, or you can add your own payment method.
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