How to Share Everything with Family Sharing in iOS 8

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One of the most anticipated features of iOS 8 is Family Sharing. With this feature you can share apps, music, videos, and calendaring information with members of your family quickly and easily. With Family Sharing you no longer have to buy the same app multiple times, and you can each use a personalized version of the app or connect to different Game Center accounts.

Enable Family Sharing by adding at least one other person to your family.

To share apps:

1. Open the App Store app.

2. If you don’t see the App Store app, go to Settings > General > Restrictions and enable Installing Apps.

3. On the iPad: go to Purchases.

4. Tap on My Purchases and select the family member who’s apps you want to share. If your family members aren’t listed, go back one step and wait a few seconds. Sometimes it can take the store a few minutes to load.

5. Find the app, and tap the cloud icon to download it to your device.

6. On the iPhone: go to Updates.

7. Tap on Purchased, and select the family member who’s apps you want to share.

8. Find the one you want, and tap the cloud icon to download it to your phone.

To share music, movies, and TV shows:

1. Open the iTunes Store app.

2. If you don’t see the iTunes Store app, go to Settings > General > Restrictions and enable iTunes Store.

3. On the iPad: go to Purchased.

4. Tap My Purchases and choose the family member who’s media you want to share. If your family members aren’t listed, go back one step and wait a few seconds.

5. Find the one you want, and tap the cloud icon to download it to your device.

6. On the iPhone: tap the More icon.

7. Navigate to Purchased and tap the name  of the family member who’s media you want to share.

8. Find the one you want and tap the cloud icon to download it to your phone.

To share books:

1. Open the iBooks app.

2. Tap on the Purchased icon.

MORE: How to Use Ask to Buy in iOS 8

3. On the iPad: Tap My Purchases and choose the family member who’s books you want to share. If your family members aren’t listed, go back one step and wait a few seconds. Sometimes it can take the store a few minutes to load.

4. Find the book you want and tap the cloud icon to download it to your iPad.

5. On the iPhone: Select the family member who’s books you’d like to share. If your family members aren’t listed, go back one step and wait a few seconds.

6. Find the book you want and tap the cloud icon to download it to your phone.

iOS 8 Tips

Jennifer Kyrnin
Jennifer Kyrnin
Jennifer Kyrnin has been building websites since 1995, and teaching others how to do it since 1997. She's written several books on the topic, and is probably working on another one right now. And she does it all on her beloved iMac and sometimes her MacBook Air.