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Does Family Sharing Share Everything?

Published in Apple Family Sharing 4 mins read

No, Family Sharing does not share everything by default, though it offers extensive sharing capabilities for eligible content and services. While it provides a convenient way for family members to access shared purchases and subscriptions, it also respects individual privacy by allowing certain items to remain private.

What Family Sharing Does Share

Family Sharing is designed to make it easy for up to six family members to share Apple services and purchases without sharing individual accounts. When enabled, the service facilitates sharing of:

  • Apple Subscriptions: Your Apple subscriptions, such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ storage plans, are shared with your family members at no extra cost.
  • App Store Subscriptions: This extends to eligible subscriptions from the App Store, allowing your family to benefit from various app services.
  • Eligible Purchases: When Purchase Sharing is enabled, eligible purchases of apps, media (like movies and TV shows), and books made by any family member become accessible to the entire group. This means one purchase can be enjoyed by everyone.

What Family Sharing Doesn't Share Automatically

While Family Sharing covers a broad range of digital content, it does not automatically share all personal data or information. Key aspects that remain private include:

  • Personal Data and Communications: Private items such as personal photos, messages, emails, browsing history, and individual app data (like game saves or specific app settings) are not automatically shared with your family group.
  • Individual Apple IDs: Each family member retains their own Apple ID, ensuring their personal accounts and digital identities remain separate.
  • Hidden Purchases: Importantly, you have control over specific shared purchases. You can hide individual purchases that you want to keep private, preventing other family members from seeing or accessing them. This feature directly addresses the "not everything" aspect of Family Sharing.

Control and Privacy in Family Sharing

Family Sharing provides various controls to manage what is shared and to protect individual privacy:

  • Purchase Sharing Toggle: The group organizer can enable or disable Purchase Sharing at any time, controlling access to shared apps, media, and books.
  • Hiding Purchases: If you've purchased an app, song, movie, or book that you'd prefer to keep private, you can hide it from the family's shared purchases list. This is particularly useful for gifting or personal preferences.
  • Location Sharing: While Family Sharing allows for optional location sharing to help locate devices or family members, it is not mandatory and can be turned off for individual members at any time.
  • Screen Time Management: Organizers can set up Screen Time for children, but this feature is about managing usage, not sharing content or personal data.

Family Sharing: Shared vs. Private

To clarify what is typically shared versus what remains private within a Family Sharing group:

Category Shared via Family Sharing (with Purchase Sharing enabled) Not Shared Automatically / Can Be Kept Private
Subscriptions Apple services (Music, TV+, Arcade, iCloud+, etc.), App Store subscriptions N/A
Purchases Eligible Apps, Movies, TV Shows, Books Individual Purchases (can be hidden by the purchaser)
Personal Data N/A Photos, Messages, Emails, Browsing History, Individual App Data/Saves, Health Data
Accounts N/A (Each member uses their own Apple ID) N/A (Each member maintains separate login credentials and personal account information)
Location Optional (can be enabled/disabled by each member) N/A

Examples of Shared Services and Content

  • A family member buys a new game on the App Store; with Purchase Sharing, everyone else in the family can download and play it without buying it again.
  • One person subscribes to Apple Music; all family members can enjoy unlimited music streaming.
  • The family organizer upgrades to a 200GB iCloud+ plan; all family members can utilize the shared storage for their photos, documents, and backups.

Protecting Your Privacy Within a Family Group

  • Always be mindful of the "Hide Purchase" option if there are items you don't wish to share with the family.
  • Remember that each family member uses their own Apple ID, so personal information linked to that ID remains private unless explicitly shared through other means (e.g., shared photo albums outside of core Family Sharing features).
  • Review privacy settings periodically to ensure they align with your preferences for location sharing and other features.

Family Sharing offers a balance of convenience and privacy, making it a powerful tool for households to manage their digital lives effectively.