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Everything you need to know about iOS 8’s Family Sharing feature

Published Sep 18th, 2014 3:47PM EDT
Best iOS 8 Features Family Sharing

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Apple has rolled out a ton of great new features with iOS 8 but one that has flown a bit under the radar so far is Family Sharing, a new feature that will let you share your app purchases with up to six different family members’ accounts. Now, however, AppleInsider has put together a terrific how-to guide for getting Family Sharing up and running on your iOS devices so you can share the movies, music and apps you’ve purchased with everyone in your family.

LEARN MORE ABOUT iOS 8: How to use all of iOS 8’s best new features

We won’t summarize the entire guide here, but there are a few noteworthy tidbits that are worth sharing. First, the system works by having one central family organizer whose credit card is tied directly to the Family Sharing feature. This is the person who buys all of the apps and digital media and decides to share it with their family members.

This is important, AppleInsider writes, because “as long as all users are making purchases with the same credit card, all content purchased separately on different devices can be freely shared with one another,” including “legacy content tied to a separate Apple ID that may have been purchased with a different credit card.”

AppleInsider also notes that Family Sharing also extends to the Find My iPhone feature that will let you see the location of all your family members’ iPhones. This feature can be disabled, of course, so teenagers won’t have to worry about their parents knowing they’re at the local liquor store trying to pick up booze with a fake ID.

AppleInsider’s entire guide is worth reading and can be found at the source link below.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.