Use a shared iCloud+ storage plan, not paying for individual plans for each family member.
The Family-Sized Storage Locker That Saves You Money
Imagine each person in your family renting their own small, expensive storage locker for their photos and files. It’s costly and inefficient. A shared iCloud+ plan is like renting one giant, family-sized storage unit for a fraction of the cost. The family organizer pays a single bill, and everyone else gets their own huge, private, and partitioned room inside. You can’t see their stuff, and they can’t see yours, but the whole family gets tons of space. It’s the smartest, cheapest way to ensure everyone has enough room for their memories and backups.
Stop buying apps, music, and movies for each person in your family. Do use Purchase Sharing to share them instead.
The Family Library Where You Only Buy Things Once
Imagine buying a great board game for your home, but then having to buy a separate, brand-new copy for every single person who wants to play it. It would be absurdly expensive. That’s what you’re doing when you buy apps or movies individually for your family. Purchase Sharing turns your family’s devices into a shared digital bookshelf. When one person buys a movie, a game, or an album, a copy instantly becomes available for everyone else in the family to enjoy, for free. It’s the ultimate “buy one, get five free” deal.
Stop asking your kids for money for the App Store. Do use “Ask to Buy” to approve their purchases from your device instead.
The Digital Allowance with a Tap of Approval
Giving your child free rein in the App Store is like sending them into a toy store with your credit card and no supervision. “Ask to Buy” is the perfect digital solution. When your child wants to download an app or a game (even a free one), it’s like they are tapping you on the shoulder and asking for permission. A notification instantly pops up on your phone, showing you what they want. You can see what it is and approve or deny it with a single tap, turning potential budget disasters into teachable moments.
The #1 secret for a happy family tech life is setting up Screen Time for your kids through Family Sharing.
The Remote Control for Your Family’s Digital Well-being
Managing your kids’ screen time can feel like a constant, losing battle. Screen Time through Family Sharing is like having a single, powerful remote control for your family’s digital house rules. From your own iPhone, you can set daily time limits for certain apps, schedule “Downtime” during homework hours or bedtime, and filter inappropriate content. It’s not about spying; it’s about creating a healthy, balanced digital environment for your kids, turning endless arguments into a clear, agreed-upon structure that you can manage from the palm of your hand.
I’m just going to say it: Family Sharing is one of the most underrated and cost-effective features of the Apple ecosystem.
The All-Access Family Pass to the Digital World
People often see their Apple devices as individual purchases. But Family Sharing is the secret all-access family pass that unlocks massive value. It’s like buying one ticket to a theme park and having it cover storage, music, TV shows, and apps for up to six people. You buy an app once, and everyone gets it. You subscribe to a service once, and everyone enjoys it. It’s the “buy one, get five free” deal that’s been hiding in plain sight, transforming a collection of individual gadgets into a collaborative and cost-effective family hub.
The reason your family is always asking for your Apple ID password is because you haven’t set up Family Sharing correctly.
Give Everyone Their Own Key to the House
If your family is constantly asking for your password to download an app, it’s like you’re the only one with the key to the house, and they have to call you every time they want to get in. It’s frustrating for everyone and terrible for your security. Setting up Family Sharing is like giving every family member their own unique, personal key. They can use their own password to access the shared library of apps and services you’ve already paid for. It gives them independence while keeping your master key—your password—secure and private.
If you’re still using a third-party app to share your location with your family, you’re missing out on the integrated “Find My” feature in Family Sharing.
The Built-in Family Map
Using a separate app to share your family’s location is like buying a clunky, third-party GPS tracker and sticking it on everyone’s backpack. It works, but the “Find My” feature in Family Sharing is like having a beautiful, live-updating family map built directly into the fabric of your devices. With one tap, you can see where everyone is, get notifications when they leave school or arrive home, and even help them find their lost devices. It’s the seamless, private, and powerful solution that’s already in your pocket.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about Family Sharing is that it’s complicated to set up; it only takes a few minutes.
The Five-Minute Setup for a Lifetime of Sharing
The idea of setting up a “family tech thing” can sound like a daunting, weekend-long project. This is the biggest misconception about Family Sharing. The reality is like setting up a new board game: you just open the box and follow a few simple, on-screen instructions. From your iPhone, you invite your family members, they accept, and you choose what you want to share. In less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee, you can have your entire family connected and sharing, unlocking years of convenience and savings.
I wish I knew about the shared family calendar when I was trying to coordinate schedules with my spouse.
The Family Command Center on Your Fridge, But Magical
For years, my wife and I tried to coordinate our lives with a messy calendar on the fridge, constantly asking, “What are we doing Thursday?” I wish I had known that Family Sharing automatically creates a shared family calendar. It’s like that fridge calendar, but magical. When I add the kids’ soccer practice from my phone, it instantly appears on her phone and our Mac. It’s a central, always-up-to-date command center for our family’s life, and it has completely eliminated our scheduling chaos. It’s the simple, shared brain we always needed.
99% of people make this one mistake with Family Sharing: not realizing that the organizer is responsible for all purchases made by the family members.
The Person Who Holds the Family Credit Card
Setting up Family Sharing is like creating a family account at a department store. The person who sets it up—the “organizer”—is the one who puts their credit card behind the counter. This makes everything seamless, but it’s crucial to understand that if any family member (who isn’t a child with “Ask to Buy”) decides to buy a movie or an app, the charge goes directly to the organizer’s card. It’s a system built on trust, and it’s important that the person holding the family credit card knows they are the ultimate payer.
This one small action of creating a shared family photo album will change the way you share memories forever.
The Living Photo Album on the Coffee Table
After a vacation or a birthday party, the photos are usually scattered across different phones. Creating a shared album is like placing a single, magical photo album on your family’s coffee table. Anyone in the family can walk by, add their own favorite pictures to it, and flip through the memories others have added. It turns scattered, forgotten photos into a living, collaborative collection of your family’s best moments, accessible to everyone, all the time. It’s the simplest way to build your family’s story together.
Use a shared Reminders list for your family’s groceries, not a paper list that always gets lost.
The Shopping List That Magically Updates in Your Pocket
The old paper grocery list is a disaster. It gets left on the kitchen counter, or you forget to add milk to it before your partner leaves. A shared Reminders list is a magical, live-updating shopping list that everyone in the family has in their pocket. When you add “eggs” at home, it instantly appears on your partner’s list while they are at the store. When they put the eggs in the cart, they can check it off, and you can see it’s done. It’s a simple, brilliant tool that ends grocery store miscommunications forever.
Stop manually adding your kids to your Apple Music subscription. Do use an Apple Music family plan instead.
The Family Record Collection, Not a Single Pair of Headphones
An individual music plan is like having one pair of headphones that the whole family has to share. An Apple Music family plan is like giving everyone in the house their own personal, infinite record collection. For one slightly higher price, up to six family members get their own separate, unlimited music account. They can create their own playlists, listen to their own songs, and get their own recommendations. It’s the only sane way for a family of different musical tastes to coexist peacefully.
Stop paying for multiple Apple TV+ subscriptions. Do share one subscription with your entire family instead.
One Movie Ticket for the Whole Family
Paying for more than one Apple TV+ subscription in a household is like going to the movie theater and having every single family member buy their own ticket to the same movie, even though you’re all sitting together. It makes no sense. When you subscribe to Apple TV+, that single subscription can be shared with your entire Family Sharing group at no extra cost. One person subscribes, and the whole family gets access to the entire library of shows and movies. It’s that simple.
The #1 hack for managing your kids’ contacts is using Screen Time to control who they can communicate with.
The Doorman for Your Child’s Phone
Giving a child a phone can be scary because you don’t know who might contact them. The communication limits in Screen Time are like hiring a friendly but firm doorman for your child’s device. You can create an approved guest list (their contacts) and instruct the doorman to only allow calls and messages from people on that list. During “Downtime,” you can make the list even stricter, allowing only calls from Mom and Dad. It’s a powerful tool that gives your child the freedom to connect, but within a safe and controlled environment.
I’m just going to say it: The “Ask to Buy” feature is a lifesaver for parents of young children.
The Impulse-Control Button for Your Kids
A child with a phone is a master of impulse “purchases,” even for free apps that are full of in-app purchases. “Ask to Buy” is the ultimate impulse-control button. The moment your child tries to get something, the impulse is stopped and routed to you as a simple request. It inserts a crucial pause into the process. This pause not only saves you from a credit card full of mystery charges, but it creates a perfect opportunity to have a conversation with your child about digital value and responsible spending. It’s a true parenting lifesaver.
The reason you can’t see your family’s shared purchases is because “Purchase Sharing” hasn’t been enabled in the Family Sharing settings.
The “Open for Business” Sign on Your Family’s Library
Family Sharing is like a building with many different rooms and services. The shared library of apps and movies is one of those rooms. For it to work, the family organizer needs to go to that room’s door and flip the “Purchase Sharing” sign to “Open for Business.” If that master switch is turned off, the door to the library remains locked for everyone. It’s a simple toggle in the settings, but it’s the one that unlocks the ability for the whole family to share in the content.
If you’re still using a separate app for your family’s to-do list, you’re missing out on the simplicity of a shared Reminders list.
The Chore Chart That’s Already on the Wall
Many families buy special apps to manage chores and shared tasks. This is like buying a fancy, electronic chore chart when you have a beautiful, simple whiteboard that’s already hanging on your wall. The built-in Reminders app is that whiteboard. You can create a “Household Chores” list, share it with your family, and assign tasks to different people. It’s free, it’s powerful, and because it’s built-in, it seamlessly integrates with Siri and all your devices. For most families, it’s the perfect solution that they already own.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that Family Sharing is only for families with kids; it’s great for any group of people who want to share services.
The Roommate Plan for Your Digital Life
The name “Family Sharing” is a bit misleading. It makes it sound like it’s only for a traditional nuclear family. In reality, it’s the ultimate “roommate plan” for your digital life. It’s perfect for a group of friends, a couple, or any collection of up to six people who trust each other and want to save money. You can share an iCloud storage plan, an Apple Music subscription, or an app purchase with anyone you choose. It’s about sharing services with the people you share your life with.
I wish I knew about the ability to create an Apple ID for my child under 13 through Family Sharing.
The Kid’s Table at the Digital Dinner Party
I used to think my young kids were locked out of the Apple world because you normally have to be 13 to get an Apple ID. I wish I had known that Family Sharing is the official way to set up a kid’s table. As a parent, you can create a special child account for them. This gives them their own iMessage and FaceTime account, but it’s all managed under your parental umbrella. It automatically enables features like “Ask to Buy,” giving them a safe and supervised entry into the digital world.
99% of users make this one mistake with their family calendar: not color-coding events for each family member.
The Rainbow That Brings Order to Your Chaos
A shared family calendar with every event in the same color is a confusing wall of text. It’s like a tangled ball of gray yarn. The simple act of assigning a specific color to each family member is like magically untangling that yarn and sorting it into a beautiful rainbow. At a single glance, you can see that the blue event is Dad’s, the pink one is the kids’, and the green one is a full family activity. It’s a tiny change that brings instant clarity and visual organization to your family’s busy life.
This one small habit of checking your child’s Screen Time report will help you have more informed conversations about their device usage.
The Coach Who Reviews the Game Tape
You can’t have a productive conversation with an athlete about their performance without first reviewing the game tape. The weekly Screen Time report is the game tape for your child’s digital life. It shows you, without emotion or judgment, exactly how much time they spent on which apps. The small habit of reviewing this report before you talk to them allows you to move beyond arguments like “You’re always on your phone!” and into productive conversations like, “I see you spent a lot of time on this app. Let’s talk about that.”
Use Apple Cash Family to easily send money to your kids and see where they spend it, not just giving them cash.
The Digital Piggy Bank with Training Wheels
Giving your kids cash for their allowance is like putting money into a piggy bank with a hole in the bottom; you have no idea where it goes. Apple Cash Family is a digital piggy bank with training wheels. You can send money instantly to your child’s device, and they can use it with Apple Pay. But as the parent, you get notifications when they spend it and can even see a list of their transactions. It’s a brilliant way to give them financial independence while still providing a safe and educational overview.
Stop wondering where your kids are. Do use the location sharing feature in Family Sharing to see their location on a map instead.
The “You Are Here” Map for Your Peace of Mind
The constant worry and the “where are you?” texts are a stressful part of being a parent. The location sharing in Family Sharing is the “You Are Here” map for your peace of mind. With your child’s permission, you can open the Find My app and see their location on a map in real-time. You can even set up notifications so you get an automatic alert when they arrive safely at school or a friend’s house. It’s a simple, privacy-respecting tool that can significantly reduce parental anxiety.
Stop manually sharing passwords with your family members. Do use the shared passwords feature in iCloud Keychain instead.
The Secure Envelope for Your Family’s Keys
When a family member needs the password for a shared streaming service, the common (and insecure) method is to text it to them. The shared passwords feature in iCloud Keychain is like putting that secret key inside a sealed, secure envelope and handing it directly to your family member. You can create a shared group of passwords, and anyone in that group can securely access and use them. It’s the simple, safe, and correct way to manage the keys to your shared digital life.
The #1 secret for a successful family game night is using Apple Arcade with Family Sharing so everyone has access to the games.
The Board Game Closet That’s Always Full
A great family game night needs a closet full of options that everyone can enjoy. An Apple Arcade subscription with Family Sharing is the ultimate digital board game closet. For one low price, your entire family gets unlimited access to a huge library of high-quality, ad-free games. Everyone can download any game they want to their own device. It ends the arguments over buying new games and ensures that your family’s game night closet is always fully stocked with incredible, fun options for everyone.
I’m just going to say it: A shared iCloud storage plan is the most practical and beneficial part of Family Sharing.
The Utility Bill Everyone Needs but No One Wants to Pay For
Out of all the Family Sharing features, the shared iCloud plan is the foundational utility, like the electricity or water for your digital house. Everyone needs it, but no one wants to manage their own separate, expensive plan. Sharing one large, cost-effective plan is the most practical and financially savvy thing a family can do. It ensures everyone’s precious photos are being backed up and everyone has enough space for their digital life, all under one simple, consolidated bill. It’s the bedrock of a well-run digital home.
The reason your family members can’t access a shared subscription is because not all subscriptions support Family Sharing.
The Club That Doesn’t Offer a Family Membership
Family Sharing is like a master key that can unlock many doors for your family. However, some doors have their own special locks. While most of Apple’s own services and many third-party apps allow their subscriptions to be shared, some developers choose not to. It’s like a private club that simply doesn’t offer a family membership option. Before you subscribe to a new service with the intent to share it, it’s always wise to check its App Store page to see if it supports Family Sharing.
If you’re still using email to collaborate on a document with your family, you’re missing out on the real-time collaboration features in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
The One Piece of Paper on the Kitchen Table
Emailing a vacation plan back and forth with your family is like everyone having their own separate copy of the plan and trying to keep it updated. It’s a mess. Using the collaboration features in Apple’s apps is like putting one single, magical piece of paper on the kitchen table. When your spouse adds a flight number from their iPad, you see it appear in real-time on your Mac. It’s a single source of truth that turns a chaotic planning process into a simple, seamless, and collaborative experience.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you need to be in the same physical location to set up Family Sharing; you can invite members remotely.
The Invitation You Can Send in the Mail
People often think that to set up Family Sharing, you all need to be huddled around one device in the same room. This is like thinking you have to hand-deliver every party invitation. The reality is much simpler. The family organizer can send an invitation to another family member via iMessage. That person, even if they are in another city, can simply tap “accept” on the invitation, and they are instantly added to the family group. It’s as easy as sending a text.
I wish I knew that I could help my parents with their devices remotely using the screen sharing feature in iMessage.
The Magical “Let Me See” Button for Tech Support
Trying to help a less tech-savvy parent over the phone is a uniquely frustrating experience (“No, not that button! The other one!”). I wish I had known about the screen sharing feature in iMessage. While on a FaceTime call, you can initiate screen sharing. It’s like a magical “Let Me See” button. Their screen will appear on your screen, and you can guide them, see exactly what they’re seeing, and even draw on their screen to show them where to tap. It turns tech support nightmares into easy, productive sessions.
99% of people make this one mistake when a child grows up: not updating their permissions and graduating them from a child account.
Taking the Training Wheels Off the Bike
A child’s Apple ID account comes with important parental controls, like “Ask to Buy.” These are the training wheels for their digital life. But as your child grows into a responsible teenager, leaving those same restrictions in place can be frustrating for them. People forget that these settings are not permanent. As a parent, you can go into the Family Sharing settings and “graduate” them to a more standard account, taking the training wheels off the bike when they’ve shown they are ready to ride on their own.
This one small action of setting up a “Family” group chat in iMessage will centralize all your family communication.
The Digital Kitchen Table for Your Family
Your family’s communication can be scattered everywhere—one-on-one texts, phone calls, little reminders. Creating a dedicated “Family” group chat in iMessage is like establishing a digital kitchen table for your entire family. It’s the one central place where everyone can gather to share news, coordinate plans, and send funny photos. It ensures that no one is left out of the loop and turns a chaotic web of messages into a single, organized, and permanent home for your family’s conversations.
Use a shared family note for important information like emergency contacts and medical information, not scattered pieces of paper.
The Emergency Binder That Lives in Everyone’s Pocket
Every family has that one drawer with a messy collection of important papers: emergency numbers, Wi-Fi passwords, medical information. A shared note in the Notes app is like a perfectly organized, digital emergency binder that lives in every family member’s pocket. You can create a note with all of this vital information, share it with the family, and even lock it for extra security. Now, if there’s an emergency, everyone has instant access to the information they need, right on their phone.
Stop worrying about your kids losing their devices. Do set up Find My for all their devices through Family Sharing instead.
The Family-Wide Search and Rescue Team
A child losing their new iPod or leaving their iPad at a friend’s house can cause a lot of stress. When you set up their device under Family Sharing, the Find My service is automatically enabled. This is like deputizing every family member into a search and rescue team. From your own phone, you can see your child’s device on a map, make it play a loud sound to help them find it, or put it in Lost Mode. It’s a built-in insurance policy against lost-and-found drama.
Stop trying to remember everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries. Do put them in a shared family calendar instead.
The Family Memory That Never Forgets
Our brains are not designed to be a database of family birthdays, anniversaries, and important dates. The shared family calendar is. The simple act of creating a recurring, all-day event for every important family date is like giving your entire family a perfect, shared memory. Now, everyone gets an automatic reminder, and the “Oh no, I forgot!” moments can become a thing of the past. It’s a simple way to use technology to be more thoughtful and connected.
The #1 hack for a less stressful family vacation is creating a shared packing list in Reminders.
The Suitcase That Packs Itself (Almost)
The chaos of packing for a family trip is a universal stressor. “Did anyone pack the sunscreen?” “I can’t find my charger!” A shared Reminders list is the ultimate hack for a calm and organized departure. You can create a master packing list, divide it into categories, and assign items to different family members. As each person packs an item, they can check it off the list in real-time. It’s a collaborative, transparent system that ensures nothing important gets left behind.
I’m just going to say it: The integration of Family Sharing across the entire Apple ecosystem is what makes it so powerful.
The Web That Connects the Whole House
Family Sharing isn’t just one feature; it’s a powerful, invisible web of connections that runs through your entire digital house. The shared calendar talks to the location services, which talks to the purchasing system, which talks to the storage plan. It’s this deep, seamless integration that makes it so magical. You approve a purchase with Ask to Buy, and the app appears on everyone’s device. You add a location to a calendar event, and everyone gets a “time to leave” alert. It’s the interconnectedness that turns separate features into a cohesive family experience.
The reason you can’t add someone to your family group is because they are already part of another one.
The Exclusive Club Membership
An Apple ID can only be a member of one Family Sharing group at a time. It’s like a membership to an exclusive country club; you can’t be a member of two different clubs at the same time. If your invitation to a family member is failing, the most common reason is that they are still technically a member of a previous family group, perhaps one they set up with friends years ago. They must first go into their settings and officially resign their membership from the old club before they can join your new one.
If you’re still buying physical books for your kids, you’re missing out on the ability to share a single purchase of an e-book with the whole family.
The Book That Can Be in Two Places at Once
Buying a physical book for your family is great, but only one person can read it at a time. When you buy a book from Apple Books, it’s like buying a magical book that can exist in multiple places at once. Thanks to Purchase Sharing, that single purchase can be downloaded and read by everyone in your family, on their own devices, at their own pace. It’s a more cost-effective and convenient way to build your family’s library and encourage reading.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you have to share everything with your family; you can choose which purchases and subscriptions to share.
The Buffet vs. The À La Carte Menu
People sometimes worry that Family Sharing means their entire digital life will be an open book to their family. This is not true. It’s more like a restaurant where you can choose between a shared buffet and an à la carte menu. You can choose to enable Purchase Sharing, which is the buffet where everyone can see and share your eligible purchases. Or, you can keep that turned off and just share specific subscriptions, like iCloud storage or Apple Music. You are in complete control of what you put on the shared family table.
I wish I knew about the ability to set downtime and app limits for my kids’ devices from my own iPhone.
The Digital Curfew I Can Set from My Couch
I used to have to physically take my kids’ devices away at bedtime, which often led to arguments. I wish I had known about the power of setting Downtime and App Limits remotely. It’s like being able to set a digital curfew for their devices from the comfort of my own couch. At 8 PM, the screens can automatically gray out, with only approved apps like “Phone” being available. It’s a non-confrontational, automated way to enforce the family rules and ensure that screen time doesn’t interfere with sleep.
99% of users make this one mistake when setting up a new device for their child: creating a new Apple ID for them outside of Family Sharing.
The Teenager Who Pretends to Be an Adult
When setting up a new iPad for a child, it’s tempting to just create a regular Apple ID for them by fudging their birth year. This is a huge mistake. It’s like letting your 12-year-old get a fake ID to pretend they’re an adult. They get full, unrestricted access to everything, and you lose all the powerful parental control features. The only correct way to do it is to create an official child account through your own Family Sharing settings. It keeps them safe and keeps you in control.
This one small habit of reviewing your family’s subscriptions regularly will help you save money on services you no longer use.
Cleaning Out the Family’s Digital Subscription Box
Subscriptions are like automatic delivery boxes that show up at your door every month. It’s easy to sign up for a new one and then completely forget about it. The small habit of periodically going into your Family Sharing settings and reviewing the list of all active, shared subscriptions is like cleaning out that pile of boxes on your porch. You might discover you’re still paying for a service that no one has used in months. It’s a two-minute check-up that can save you real money.
Use Apple Card Family to build credit for your kids and teach them financial responsibility, not just giving them an allowance.
The Credit Card with Built-in Training Wheels
An allowance in cash is a good start, but it doesn’t teach a teenager about the modern world of credit. Apple Card Family is like giving your teen a credit card with a full set of digital training wheels. You can add them as a participant to your card, set a spending limit for them, and see all of their transactions in real-time. It’s a powerful, controlled, and transparent way to help them build credit history and learn responsible financial habits before they head off into the world on their own.
Stop manually sending photos of the kids to your spouse. Do use a shared iCloud Photo Library for automatic sharing instead.
The Camera That Knows Who to Share With
The constant “can you send me that cute picture you just took?” is a familiar refrain for all parents. A Shared iCloud Photo Library is the magical solution. It’s like having a camera that is smart enough to know which pictures to automatically share. You can set it so that any photo you take when your spouse is nearby is automatically added to the shared family library. The photos just appear in their library, no sending required. It turns a constant chore into an invisible, automatic delight.
Stop wondering what to watch on movie night. Do browse the shared library of purchased movies and TV shows instead.
The Family Video Store Where Everything is Already Paid For
Deciding on a movie for family night can be an endless scroll through streaming apps. With Purchase Sharing enabled, your family has its own private, curated video store. In the Apple TV app, you can browse a library that contains every single movie and TV show that anyone in your family has ever purchased. It’s a simple way to rediscover old favorites or for your kids to watch a movie you bought years ago, all without having to pay for it again.
The #1 secret for a more organized family is using the collaborative features of the Apple ecosystem.
The House That Thinks Together
An organized family is one that communicates and coordinates effectively. The collection of shared features in the Apple ecosystem is like a nervous system for your family’s house, allowing it to think together. The shared calendar coordinates time, the shared Reminders lists coordinate tasks, and the shared Notes coordinate information. By embracing these built-in, collaborative tools, you can turn a collection of individuals with separate schedules into a single, cohesive team that runs with less friction and more harmony.
I’m just going to say it: For families invested in the Apple ecosystem, the Apple One family plan is a fantastic value.
The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet for Your Digital Life
Buying all your digital services separately is like ordering from a restaurant à la carte. An Apple One family plan is like opting for the all-you-can-eat buffet for one, discounted price. You get a massive platter with Music, TV+, Arcade, and a huge helping of iCloud storage, all to share with your entire family. If you’re already using two or more of these services, bundling them together with an Apple One plan is almost always a financial no-brainer that simplifies your billing and saves you money every single month.
The reason your child can still make purchases is because you haven’t enabled “Ask to Buy.”
The Open Door to the Candy Store
If you’ve set up a child account but you’re still seeing surprise charges, it’s because you’ve left the door to the digital candy store wide open. A child account doesn’t automatically block purchases. “Ask to Buy” is the doorman that you have to hire and put in front of that door. Until you go into the settings and explicitly turn on this feature for your child, they have the ability to walk right in and buy things with the family credit card. It’s an essential switch you have to remember to flip.
If you’re still using a third-party app to filter content for your kids, you’re not using the powerful content restrictions built into Screen Time.
The Built-in Guardrails on the Digital Highway
Many parents buy special software to try and filter the internet for their kids. This is like trying to install your own custom guardrails on a highway that already has a powerful, well-engineered system built-in. The Content & Privacy Restrictions within Screen Time are those built-in guardrails. You can limit websites to a pre-approved list, restrict mature content in movies and music, and prevent changes to important settings. It’s a robust and deeply integrated set of tools that you already own.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that Family Sharing is only about saving money; it’s also about convenience and staying connected.
The Cheaper Car That Also Drives Itself
People often focus on the cost-saving aspect of Family Sharing, which is like saying the best thing about a modern car is that it’s fuel-efficient. That’s great, but it misses the magic. The true power is in the convenience and connection. It’s the shared calendar that prevents scheduling conflicts, the shared location that provides peace of mind, and the shared photos that bring you closer together. The money you save is the bonus; the seamlessly connected family life is the real prize.
I wish I knew that I could set up an Apple Watch for a family member who doesn’t have an iPhone using Family Setup.
The Smartwatch with a Long-Distance Leash
I always wanted to give my older parent an Apple Watch for its health and safety features, but they don’t have an iPhone. I wish I had known about Family Setup. It’s like a long-distance leash for an Apple Watch. You can use your own iPhone to set up and manage a watch for them. They get the benefits of fall detection, emergency contacts, and easy communication, and you can manage it all for them remotely. It’s a brilliant feature that extends the benefits of the watch to your non-iPhone-using family members.
99% of people make this one mistake when leaving a family group: not realizing they will lose access to all shared content and services.
Moving Out and Leaving the House Keys Behind
Leaving a Family Sharing group is like moving out of the family home. It’s important to realize that when you walk out the door, you are also handing back your key to the house. The moment you leave, you will lose access to the shared iCloud storage, the family music subscription, and all of the apps and movies that the family purchased. You are stepping out from under the shared umbrella. It’s a clean break, and it’s crucial to understand what you’re leaving behind before you make the decision.
This one small action of setting up a family organizer will make managing your family’s digital life so much easier.
Appointing a Captain for the Family Ship
A ship with no captain is a chaotic vessel. When you set up Family Sharing, one adult is designated as the “organizer.” This person is the captain of your family’s digital ship. They are the one who invites new members, manages the subscriptions, and holds the credit card for any purchases. Having one clearly designated person in charge brings order and simplicity to the whole system. It’s a simple, necessary step that ensures your family’s ship sails smoothly.
Use the Intercom feature on your HomePods to talk to your family members in different rooms, not yelling through the house.
The P.A. System for Your Entire Home
The timeless tradition of yelling “Dinner’s ready!” up the stairs can now be retired. The Intercom feature on your HomePods and other Apple devices is like having a professional P.A. system built into the walls of your house. From the kitchen, you can say, “Hey Siri, tell everyone dinner’s ready,” and your voice will instantly play on the HomePods in the kids’ rooms and even appear as a notification on their iPhones. It’s a calmer, more effective, and slightly more futuristic way to communicate.
Stop trying to coordinate a family dinner. Do create an event in the shared family calendar instead.
The Official Invitation That Everyone Receives
Trying to organize a family get-together over a messy text chain is like trying to plan a party by shouting rumors into the wind. The shared family calendar is the official invitation that lands in everyone’s mailbox simultaneously. When you create an event for “Family Dinner at Grandma’s” and invite everyone, it appears on all their devices. They can accept or decline, and everyone can see who is coming. It’s the simple, organized way to turn a chaotic idea into a concrete plan.
Stop worrying about what your kids are doing on their devices. Do use the activity reports in Screen Time to have a conversation with them instead.
The Game Film You Review with Your Player
Constantly worrying about your child’s screen time is stressful. The activity reports in Screen Time are like the game film that a coach reviews with their player. It’s not about accusation; it’s about observation. You can sit down together and look at the objective data: “It looks like you spent five hours on this app this week. How did that feel? Was it a good use of your time?” It transforms a power struggle into a collaborative conversation about building healthy habits, with you as the coach, not the warden.
The #1 hack for a more collaborative family project is using a shared Freeform board.
The Endless Whiteboard in Your Living Room
Planning a family vacation or a home renovation project can involve a messy pile of notes, links, and pictures. A shared Freeform board is like unrolling an infinite, magical whiteboard in your living room that everyone can draw on at the same time. You can paste in photos of hotels, draw out a new room layout, and add sticky notes with ideas. Everyone you invite can add to the board from their own device, creating a vibrant, visual, and incredibly fun way to brainstorm and plan together.
I’m just going to say it: The seamless way Family Sharing works across iPhone, iPad, and Mac is a testament to Apple’s software integration.
The House Where All the Rooms Are Connected
Some smart home systems feel like you have a bunch of different gadgets that don’t really talk to each other. Family Sharing is like living in a house where every single room is intelligently and seamlessly connected. The calendar in the office knows about the location of the phone in the car, which knows about the parental controls set from the iPad in the living room. It’s this deep, foundational integration across all the different devices that makes the whole system feel so coherent, powerful, and almost magical.
The reason you can’t share an in-app purchase is because not all of them are eligible for Family Sharing.
The Popcorn vs. The Movie Ticket
When you buy a movie ticket (the app), Family Sharing lets everyone in your family use that ticket. However, the popcorn you buy at the concession stand (an in-app purchase) is often a different story. Many in-app purchases, especially “consumable” ones like extra lives in a game, are like that popcorn—they can only be used by the person who bought them. The developer of the app gets to decide if their in-app purchases can be shared, and many of them cannot.
If you’re still manually inputting your family’s Wi-Fi password on their devices, you’re not using the automatic password sharing feature.
The Secret Handshake for Your Wi-Fi
The ritual of finding the Wi-Fi password on the back of the router and reading it out loud while someone tries to type it in is a clumsy one. The automatic password sharing between Apple devices is like a secret handshake. When a family member with an iPhone tries to join your home Wi-Fi, a notification will silently pop up on your nearby device asking if you want to share the password. You tap “OK,” and the password is securely transmitted. It’s a seamless, secure, and magical moment of convenience.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you need to be tech-savvy to be the family organizer; Apple’s instructions make it easy.
The Captain’s Chair with Power Steering
The role of “family organizer” can sound intimidating, like you’re being asked to be the IT administrator for your entire household. The reality is that Apple has designed the process to be like driving a car with power steering and a GPS. The on-screen instructions are simple, the controls are clear, and it guides you through every step of the process. You don’t need to be a tech expert to be the captain of the family ship; you just need to be able to follow the map.
I wish I knew about the ability to share my Apple News+ subscription with my family.
The Family’s Shared Magazine Rack
I was paying for my own Apple News+ subscription, and so was my spouse. It was like we were both getting a separate delivery of the same newspaper every day. I wish I had known that, like most of Apple’s services, a single News+ subscription can be shared with your entire Family Sharing group at no extra cost. It’s like having one magical magazine rack in your house. One person pays for all the subscriptions, and everyone in the family can pick up any magazine or newspaper they want to read.
99% of users make this one mistake with shared albums: not realizing that videos and photos are stored in a lower resolution.
The Beautiful Postcard vs. The Original Painting
A shared photo album is a brilliant way to share memories. It’s like a beautiful, collaborative postcard collection. However, it’s crucial to understand that the photos and videos you put in a shared album are compressed to a lower resolution. They are the postcard, not the original, high-resolution painting. For everyday sharing, this is perfect. But it should never be considered a full-quality backup of your most precious memories. For that, you need the full power of the main iCloud Photo Library.
This one small habit of using the shared family calendar for all family-related events will reduce scheduling conflicts.
The Single Source of Family Truth
A family that doesn’t use a shared calendar is like a company where every employee has their own separate, secret schedule. It’s a recipe for chaos and double-bookings. The small but powerful habit of making the shared family calendar the one and only “source of truth” for your family’s time will change everything. If it’s not on the family calendar, it’s not happening. This simple rule eliminates confusion, reduces arguments, and turns your family into a well-coordinated and smoothly running team.
Use the “Find My” network to locate a family member’s device even if it’s not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.
The Search Party of a Million Strangers
You used to think that if your child’s iPod touch was lost outside of your home’s Wi-Fi, it was gone forever. But the Find My network is like a magical, anonymous search party made up of a billion other Apple devices. The lost iPod can send out a tiny, encrypted Bluetooth “Help me!” signal. Any nearby iPhone or iPad can anonymously pick up this signal and securely report its location back to you. It’s an incredibly clever and privacy-preserving way to find your devices even when they are offline.
Stop sending your kids gift cards for the App Store. Do add money directly to their Apple ID balance instead.
The Piggy Bank vs. The Handful of Cash
Giving your child a gift card is like handing them a specific amount of cash that they can easily lose. Adding money directly to their Apple ID balance is like depositing that money directly into their secure, digital piggy bank. The funds are always there, tied to their account, and can’t be misplaced. When combined with “Ask to Buy,” it’s the perfect system: they have the funds to request the things they want, and you have the final say on whether they can spend it.
Stop wondering if your spouse has seen the grocery list. Do check the shared Reminders list to see if they’ve checked anything off instead.
The List That Tattles on Itself
The old way of grocery shopping was a mystery. Did they see my text? Did they remember the milk? A shared Reminders list is a list that tattles on itself, in the best way possible. You don’t have to wonder if your spouse has seen it, because you can see them interacting with it in real-time. The moment they check off “bread,” you see it checked off on your phone. It’s a living, breathing document that provides total transparency and puts an end to the grocery store guessing game.
The #1 secret for a more peaceful home is setting up “Downtime” for your kids’ devices during homework hours and bedtime.
The Automatic “Off” Switch for Distractions
The nightly struggle to get your kids to put down their devices can be exhausting. “Downtime” in Screen Time is the automatic “off” switch that can bring peace to your home. You can schedule it so that from 8 PM until the next morning, their devices essentially turn into pumpkins. Only the apps you explicitly allow—like the Phone app or their music—will be available. It’s not you being the bad guy; it’s just the house rules, enforced automatically and without argument every single night.
I’m just going to say it: The convenience of sharing a single iCloud+ plan with custom email domains and Hide My Email is a huge benefit for families.
The Family’s Private, Secure Post Office
Sharing an iCloud+ plan isn’t just about storage. It’s like giving your entire family access to a private, high-tech post office. Not only does everyone get a huge amount of storage, but they also get to use premium features. You can set up a family email domain (like thesmithfamily.com), and every family member can create unlimited “burner” email addresses with Hide My Email. It’s a suite of powerful privacy and communication tools that extends to the whole family for one low price.
The reason your child’s location isn’t updating is because they have turned off location services on their device.
The Map with No “You Are Here” Pin
Location sharing is like a live map with a “You Are Here” pin for your child. For that to work, their device needs to know where it is. “Location Services” is the master switch that allows the device to figure out its own position. If your child turns off this master switch in their settings, it’s like taking the batteries out of their GPS tracker. The map is still there, but the “You Are Here” pin has vanished because the device itself has no idea where it is.
If you’re still trying to remember what apps your kids are allowed to use, you’re not using the “Allowed Apps” feature in Screen Time.
The Velvet Rope for Your Child’s Digital Playground
During Downtime, you want your child’s phone to be mostly off-limits. But what if you want them to always have access to their music app or the calculator for their homework? The “Allowed Apps” feature is the velvet rope for their digital playground. You are the bouncer who decides which specific apps are always allowed past the rope, even when the rest of the playground is closed for the night. It gives you granular control to create a setup that is both restrictive and reasonable.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you have to be the parent to be the family organizer; any adult can take on the role.
The Team Captain Doesn’t Have to Be the Oldest Player
The title “family organizer” makes it sound like it has to be a parent. This isn’t true at all. The organizer is simply the team captain. It can be any adult in the Family Sharing group who is willing to manage the subscriptions and be the point person for the credit card. For a group of roommates, it might be the most responsible one. For an adult family, it might be the most tech-savvy sibling. It’s a role, not a relationship status.
I wish I knew that I could share my Fitness+ subscription with my family to encourage everyone to be more active.
The Family Gym Membership That’s Already Paid For
I was paying for my own Fitness+ subscription, and my spouse was thinking about getting one too. It was like we were both about to sign up for the same gym. I wish I had known that a single Apple Fitness+ subscription can be shared with up to five other family members at no additional cost. It’s the ultimate family gym membership. One person pays, and the entire household gets access to a world-class library of workouts, from yoga to HIIT. It’s a fantastic and cost-effective way to get the whole family moving.
99% of people make this one mistake with Family Sharing: not explaining to their family members how it works and what is being shared.
The Team That Hasn’t Read the Rulebook
Setting up Family Sharing and then not explaining it to your family is like putting a team on the field without ever telling them the rules of the game. It will lead to confusion and frustration. Taking just five minutes to explain, “We’re all sharing one storage plan, our locations are visible to each other here, and any apps you buy will be charged to my card,” is like a pre-game huddle. It ensures that everyone understands the rules, respects the system, and can get the most out of being on the team.
This one small action of creating a shared “Family” folder in iCloud Drive for important documents will make your life so much more organized.
The Central Filing Cabinet for Your Household
Every family has a collection of important documents—copies of passports, insurance papers, school forms—that are scattered across different drawers and email inboxes. The small action of creating a single “Family” folder in your shared iCloud Drive is like installing a central, fireproof filing cabinet in your house. You can create sub-folders for everything, and every family member can access the latest version of any important document, from any device, at any time. It’s a simple, powerful step towards a more organized life.
Use the “Share Focus Status” feature to let your family know when you’re busy and can’t be disturbed.
The “Do Not Disturb” Sign on Your Digital Door
When you’re trying to concentrate, a constant barrage of family texts can be a huge distraction. The “Share Focus Status” feature is like putting a polite “Do Not Disturb” sign on your digital door. When you enable a Focus mode on your iPhone, your family members will see a little message in iMessage that says you have notifications silenced. It’s a subtle but powerful social cue that tells them you’re busy, which can prevent interruptions before they even happen.
Stop manually sending your kids’ school schedules to your spouse. Do put them in the shared family calendar instead.
The One Timetable That Everyone Can See
The beginning of the school year often involves a flurry of emails and texts trying to share schedules, holidays, and early dismissal days. It’s a recipe for confusion. The shared family calendar is the single, official timetable for your family’s life. By putting all the school events directly onto that calendar, you ensure that both parents are always looking at the same, up-to-date schedule. It ends the “Did you know it’s a half-day today?” panic once and for all.
Stop wondering if your kids are practicing their music. Do share a subscription to a music learning app that supports Family Sharing instead.
The Music Teacher Who Reports Back to You
Getting kids to practice a musical instrument can be a challenge. If you subscribe to a music learning app that supports Family Sharing and Screen Time, you can create a powerful educational loop. You can see in their Screen Time report how much time they’ve actually spent in the app, turning a mysterious practice session into verifiable data. It’s a great way to support their learning, and it makes the “Did you practice?” conversation a little more informed.
The #1 hack for a more collaborative vacation planning experience is using a shared note in the Notes app.
The Trip Itinerary That Everyone Can Edit
Planning a family trip via email is a nightmare of forwarded messages and outdated information. A shared note is the ultimate collaborative itinerary. You can create a note with sections for flight details, hotel confirmations, and a daily schedule. Then, share it with the whole family. Anyone can add a restaurant recommendation, paste in a link to a museum, or add their own confirmation number. It becomes a single, living document that everyone can contribute to, ensuring the whole family is on the same page.
I’m just going to say it: The family setup for Apple Watch is a great way to give your kids the benefits of a smartwatch without needing an iPhone.
The Smartwatch on a Parental Leash
You want to give your child a way to communicate and to track their activity, but you’re not ready to give them a full-fledged iPhone. The family setup for Apple Watch is the perfect solution. It’s like a smartwatch on a parental leash. You can use your iPhone to set up and manage a cellular Apple Watch for them. They get their own phone number and can use it for calls, messages, and activity tracking, but you can manage their contacts and see their location through your Family Sharing settings.
The reason you can’t find a shared app is because you need to go to the “Purchased” section of the App Store and tap on the family member’s name.
The Other Shelves in the Family Library
When Purchase Sharing is on, it doesn’t mean your mom’s apps will suddenly appear on your home screen. It’s more like your family has a shared library with different shelves for each person. To find an app that your mom bought, you need to go into the App Store, go to your account, and tap on “Purchased.” There, you will see a list of all your family members. Tapping on your mom’s name is like walking over to her personal shelf in the library, where you can see and download any of the eligible apps she has acquired.
If you’re still trying to manage your family’s passwords in a spreadsheet, you’re missing out on the secure and integrated shared passwords feature.
The Insecure Notebook vs. The Shared Bank Vault
Managing your family’s shared passwords—for streaming services, utilities, etc.—in a spreadsheet or a note is like writing down the combinations to all your safes in a notebook that you leave on the coffee table. It’s incredibly insecure. The shared passwords feature in iCloud Keychain is like creating a shared, digital bank vault. You can create a group, add your family members, and put all your shared logins inside. It’s encrypted, secure, and seamlessly integrates with Safari for easy autofill on all their devices.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that Family Sharing will solve all your family’s tech problems; it’s a tool, and communication is still key.
The World’s Best Kitchen Doesn’t Make You a Chef
Family Sharing is like being given a state-of-the-art, professional-grade kitchen. It has all the best tools, perfectly organized and seamlessly integrated. But the kitchen itself will not magically make you a five-star chef. It is an incredibly powerful tool, but your family still needs to communicate. You still need to talk about expectations, set rules together, and learn how to use the tools properly. The technology facilitates connection, but it is never a replacement for it.
I wish I knew that I could use Family Sharing to help my less tech-savvy relatives manage their devices.
The Tech Support You Can Provide from Miles Away
Family Sharing isn’t just for your immediate household. It’s a fantastic tool for helping older or less tech-savvy relatives. By adding your parent or grandparent to your Family Sharing group (even as an adult), you can help manage their life in small but meaningful ways. You can share subscriptions so they don’t have to worry about them, you can see their location to make sure they’re okay, and you can help them find their misplaced iPad. It’s a gentle, respectful way to provide a digital safety net.
99% of users make this one mistake when setting up Screen Time: making the passcode something their kids can easily guess.
The Key to the Cookie Jar, Hidden in the Cookie Jar
Screen Time is a powerful tool for setting limits, but it’s all protected by a four-digit passcode. The biggest mistake a parent can make is using an obvious code, like their birth year or “1111.” This is the digital equivalent of hiding the key to the cookie jar inside the cookie jar itself. Your kids are clever, and they will try to guess it. The Screen Time passcode must be a random string of numbers that has no personal meaning to you or your family.
This one small habit of using the shared family calendar for meal planning will answer the “what’s for dinner?” question once and for all.
The Menu That’s Posted on the Wall
The daily, dreaded question of “What’s for dinner?” can be a source of constant, low-grade stress. The small but life-changing habit of using the shared family calendar for meal planning can solve this. By simply creating an all-day event for each day with the planned meal—”Taco Tuesday,” “Spaghetti Night”—you are creating a digital menu that is posted on the wall of everyone’s pocket. It sets expectations, helps with grocery planning, and finally puts an end to the daily dinner debate.
Use the “Communication Limits” in Screen Time to protect your kids from unknown contacts, not just limiting their screen time.
The Bouncer at the Door of Their Phone
Screen Time is often thought of as just a timer. But one of its most powerful privacy features is “Communication Limits.” This is like hiring a bouncer for your child’s phone. During the day, you can set it so the bouncer only allows calls and messages from people on their approved contacts list. During Downtime at night, you can give the bouncer an even stricter list, allowing communication only with parents. It’s a powerful tool that protects your child from unwanted contact with strangers.
Stop paying for a separate cloud storage solution for your family’s photos. Do use the shared iCloud+ plan instead.
The One Big Photo Album vs. a Dozen Small Ones
If your family members are all using different free cloud services for their photos, it’s like everyone is trying to stuff their precious memories into their own separate, small, and overflowing photo albums. A shared iCloud+ plan is like buying one giant, beautiful, archival-quality photo album for the entire family. Everyone gets a massive section of their own, all under one roof and for one low price. It’s the most cost-effective and integrated way to ensure that everyone’s memories are safe and sound.
Stop manually configuring parental controls on each device. Do use Screen Time with Family Sharing to manage them all from one place.
The Master Control Panel vs. Running All Over the House
If you have multiple kids with multiple devices, setting up parental controls on each one individually is like running all over your house, trying to manually adjust a dozen different thermostats. Screen Time with Family Sharing is the master control panel. From your single iPhone, you can see and manage the settings for every single one of your children’s devices. You can adjust their downtime, approve an app, or check their usage, all from one central, convenient location.
The #1 hack for a more harmonious family road trip is a shared playlist on Apple Music.
The Car Stereo That Everyone Can DJ
The battle for control of the car stereo on a long road trip is a tale as old as time. The ultimate hack for a peaceful journey is to create a shared playlist on Apple Music. Everyone in the family can add their favorite road trip songs to the one, central playlist from their own device. It becomes a collaborative, democratic soundtrack for your adventure. When everyone has a say in the music, the arguments stop, and the sing-alongs can begin.
I’m just going to say it: The value of the bundled services in an Apple One family plan far exceeds the cost for most families.
The Combo Meal That’s Cheaper Than Ordering Separately
When you go to a fast-food restaurant, the combo meal is almost always a better deal than ordering the burger, fries, and drink separately. An Apple One family plan is the ultimate digital combo meal. You get Music, TV+, Arcade, and a big portion of iCloud storage all bundled together for one discounted monthly price. If your family is already paying for two or more of these services à la carte, switching to the Apple One bundle is a no-brainer that will save you money and simplify your life.
The reason you’re having trouble with Family Sharing is because one of the devices is running an old version of iOS or macOS.
The Team Where One Player Has an Old Rulebook
Family Sharing is like a team sport where all the players (the devices) need to be playing by the same set of rules. Apple is constantly updating and improving these rules with new software updates. If one person in your family is using a device with a very old version of iOS, it’s like a player who is still using a rulebook from five years ago. They might not be able to participate in the new plays (the new features), which can cause the whole system to get confused. Keeping everyone updated is key.
If you’re still buying individual e-books, you’re not taking advantage of the ability to share them with your family.
The Library Book with an Infinite Number of Copies
When you buy a physical book, only one person can read it at a time. When you buy a book from Apple Books and have Purchase Sharing turned on, it’s like buying a magical library book that can create an infinite number of copies of itself. Once you buy it, every member of your family can download and read that same book on their own device, at the same time. It’s a fantastic way to build a family library and share the love of reading without having to buy the same book over and over.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that Family Sharing is an invasion of privacy; everyone still has their own private account and data.
The Apartment Building with a Shared Gym
People sometimes worry that joining a Family Sharing group means their parents can read their texts or look at their photos. This is completely false. Family Sharing is like living in an apartment building. Everyone has their own private, locked apartment (their Apple ID, their messages, their photos). You are just choosing to share the cost of the building’s amenities, like the gym (Apple Music) and the underground parking garage (iCloud storage). Your private life remains completely and totally private.
I wish I knew about the ability to share my location indefinitely with my spouse for peace of mind.
The “You Are Here” Pin That’s Always On
When my spouse and I were just sharing our location for an hour at a time, it felt temporary and transactional. I wish I had known sooner about the option to share my location indefinitely. It’s a subtle but powerful shift. It’s like putting a permanent, trusted “You Are Here” pin on each other’s maps. It’s not for tracking; it’s for peace of mind. A quick glance can tell me they made it to work safely, or help us meet up in a crowded place. It’s a simple, silent form of connection.
99% of people make this one mistake with Family Sharing: not setting it up from the beginning when they get their devices.
Building the Foundation After the House is Finished
The best time to set up Family Sharing is the moment you decide to become a multi-device Apple household. So many people wait until they have a problem to solve, like a full storage plan or a child who wants an app. This is like trying to pour the concrete foundation after the house has already been built. By setting it up from day one, you establish the structure for your digital home correctly. Everyone gets their own account, purchases are shared from the start, and good habits are formed from the beginning.
This one small action of teaching your family members how to use the shared features will make everyone’s life easier.
Handing Out the Keys and Showing Them How the Locks Work
You can set up the most brilliant, interconnected smart home in the world, but if you don’t show your family how to use the light switches, they will still be stumbling around in the dark. The small but crucial action of taking 10 minutes to walk your family through the shared features—”Here’s the family calendar, here’s how we add to the grocery list”—is like showing them how all the new locks and switches work. It empowers them to use the system, which in turn makes life easier and more organized for everyone.
Use Family Sharing to create a digital hub for your family, not just a way to share purchases.
The Town Square, Not Just the General Store
Focusing only on purchase sharing is like seeing a vibrant town square and only ever using the general store. It misses the point. Family Sharing is designed to be the digital town square for your family. The calendar is the event board, the location sharing is the town map, and the photo albums are the public art. It’s a central hub for communication, coordination, and connection. The ability to save a few dollars at the store is just one small part of what makes the town a great place to live.