How to set up Family Sharing on your iPhone or iPad
With Family Sharing, you and up to five family members can share access to Apple services like iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV, and more — without sharing an Apple Account. You can even help locate each other’s missing devices, share your location, and manage a child's device with Screen Time and parental controls.
Set up a Family Sharing group
The Family Sharing organizer, which must be an adult, can set up a Family Sharing group from their device. When you set up a Family Sharing group, you might be asked to confirm that you're an adult.
Set up Family Sharing on your device
Or, follow these steps on your iPhone or iPad.
Open the Settings app, then tap your name.
Tap Family, then tap Continue.
Follow the onscreen instructions to set up your Family Sharing group and invite your family members.
Invite people to join your Family Sharing group
If you choose to invite people later or want to add another member to your Family Sharing group, you can send an invitation via Messages or email.
If you have multiple Apple Accounts, you can invite each of your accounts to the Family Sharing group, so you can share purchases from your other accounts with your family.
Open the Settings app, then tap Family.
Tap the Add Member button
.
Tap Invite Others to add an adult or a child that already has a Child Account. The child can enter their account password on your device to accept the invitation. If your child doesn't have a Child Account, tap Create Child Account, then follow the onscreen instructions.
Follow the remaining onscreen instructions to set up parental controls, location sharing, and more.
Check if your family member accepted the invitation
Open the Settings app, then tap Family.
To check the status of the invitation, tap the person's name.
If you need to resend the invitation, select Resend Invitation.
Join a Family Sharing group
You'll get an invitation to join a Family Sharing group by email or in a text message, and you can respond right from the invitation. If you miss the email or text invitation, use the steps below to respond from your device. You can be a part of only one Family Sharing group at a time.
Open the Settings app, then tap your name.
Tap Invitations.
To accept an invitation, follow the onscreen instructions. When you join a Family Sharing group, you might be asked to confirm your Apple Account information and to opt in to any features or services that your Family Sharing group has set up.
If you can't accept the invitation
If you can't accept the invitation, check if someone else joined a Family Sharing group with your Apple Account. Remember, you can only join one Family Sharing group at a time, and you can only switch to a different Family Sharing group once per year.
Connect a child's device to your Family Sharing group
If you set up a new iPhone or iPad for your child and selected a child age range,* in most cases you can connect that device to a Family Sharing group later. Age-appropriate default settings are automatically enabled on the child's device, allowing them to immediately use their device.
If you want your child to be able to download apps, use shared iCloud storage, have modified parental controls, or do things that require an Apple Account, you need to finish creating a Child Account for them and add them to your Family Sharing group.
On the child's iPhone or iPad
Open the Settings app, then tap Connect to Family.
Follow the onscreen instructions to connect that device to a Family Sharing group.
As part of this process, you need to create a Child Account for your child.
Depending on a child's age and state, country, or region, their Child Account might have to be connected to a Family Sharing group until they're 18 and can confirm they're an adult.
Learn how to move a child to another Family Sharing group
Set a member in your Family Sharing group as a parent/guardian
You can set any adult member in your Family Sharing group as a parent/guardian. This allows them to help you make certain changes to the family group, like create a Child Account, manage parental controls, and respond to Ask to Buy and Ask to Browse requests.
On your iPhone or iPad
Open the Settings app, then tap Family.
Tap the member's name, then tap Set as Parent/Guardian.
*Age varies by state, country, or region. Where legally required, an Apple Account created for a child under 18 needs to be part of a Family Sharing group. Learn how settings and features for kids vary by state, country or region.
