OS X Yosemite: What is Family Sharing?

Family Sharing lets up to six members of your family share their iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store purchases, a family calendar, family reminders list, and family photos, all without sharing accounts.

One adult—the family organizer—sets up Family Sharing, invites up to five people to join the family group, and agrees to pay for any iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store purchases those family members initiate while part of the family group. Once set up, family members get immediate access to each other’s music, movies, TV shows, books, and eligible apps. In addition, family members can easily share photos in a shared family album, add events to a family calendar, share their location with other family members, and even help locate another family member’s missing device.

Each family member needs to have an Apple ID he or she uses for iCloud. For a child too young to create his or her own Apple ID, the family organizer can provide parental consent for a child to have his or her own Apple ID and create it on the child’s behalf while adding the child to the family.

To join a family, you must sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID. You will also be asked to confirm the Apple ID you use for the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBooks Store. You can be part of only one family group at a time, and you can switch families at most once per year.

Family Sharing is available on iOS devices with iOS 8 or later, Mac computers with OS X Yosemite (v10.10) or later, and Windows computers with iCloud for Windows 4.0 or later.