Users can now share App Store subscriptions via Family Sharing

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AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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The ability to share app subscriptions via Family Sharing on iOS 14 and Apple's other operating systems appears to be rolling out.

Credit: Apple
Credit: Apple


First announced in June as part of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur, the new feature lets users share subscriptions on compatible apps with family members under a single purchase. Previously, subscriptions purchased on the App Store could only apply to one account.

On Thursday, the feature appears to have gone live in iOS 14.2. According to Flighty app founder Ryan Jones, who first spotted the rollout, a setting to Share New Subscriptions is now available in the App Store Subscriptions pane. Users can also elect to share existing subscriptions to apps that offer the service.

Family Sharing for Subscriptions just went live. pic.twitter.com/QxPDiztNWw

-- Ryan Jones (@rjonesy)


Although enabled by default, Jones notes that members of his Family Sharing group weren't notified of the new available subscriptions, and those subscriptions weren't made available to them. However, it may take some time for the feature to roll out to everyone.

My family members were not notified. And it's not showing up in their subscriptions either.

Maybe it authenticates via Restore Purchase?

So you have to manually tell everyone in the family when you share.

-- Ryan Jones (@rjonesy)


Users won't be able to share all of their subscriptions with family members -- the ability to do so must be enabled by the developer of an app.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    it should have happened at least 5 years ago.
    forgot username
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 11
    Beatsbeats Posts: 3,073member
    Nice to see "Greedy Apple" help customers more and more with every announcement.
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 11
    p-dogp-dog Posts: 137member
    This will definitely set apart the good developers from the greedy, evil developers.
    Beatsforgot usernamewatto_cobra
     2Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 4 of 11
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    Yep not all my App subscriptions allow them to be shared, I'm not getting the share button on those apps.

    I'm assuming you do this through the app store under the subscriptions section.


    edited December 2020
    watto_cobra
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  • Reply 5 of 11
    ForumPostforumpost Posts: 108member
    maestro64 said:
    Yep not all my App subscriptions allow them to be shared, I'm not getting the share button on those apps.

    I'm assuming you do this through the app store under the subscriptions section.


    Yes. You do this from the app store>account>subscriptions

    My QuickBooks app does not let the sharing (understandably) but my infuse 6 pro can. App store send me the notification about this yesterday 
    watto_cobra
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  • Reply 6 of 11
    MplsPmplsp Posts: 4,096member
    Now if they could just manage to let people combine Apple IDs....
    dewmeWgkruegerBeatsentropys
     4Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 11
    GeorgeBMacgeorgebmac Posts: 11,421member
    I'm not getting what's new here?
    Family Sharing has shared apps since the beginning -- not all apps, but specific ones authorized by the creator.

    One of the biggest and best for myself and my grandson has been Apple Music.  He loves it.
    More recently I subscribed to Curiosity Stream -- which now appears on his Apple TV.

    So what changed?
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  • Reply 8 of 11
    nicholfdnicholfd Posts: 828member
    GeorgeBMac said:
    I'm not getting what's new here?
    Family Sharing has shared apps since the beginning -- not all apps, but specific ones authorized by the creator.

    One of the biggest and best for myself and my grandson has been Apple Music.  He loves it.
    More recently I subscribed to Curiosity Stream -- which now appears on his Apple TV.

    So what changed?
    Sharing App (weather app, camera app, etc.) subscriptions that might provide more weather data, more frequently, or more features as an example.  These types of subscription sharing were not possible before.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 11
    GeorgeBMacgeorgebmac Posts: 11,421member
    nicholfd said:
    Sharing App (weather app, camera app, etc.) subscriptions that might provide more weather data, more frequently, or more features as an example.  These types of subscription sharing were not possible before.

    I've been sharing subscriptions (like Apple Music) with my grandson on our FamilySharing setup for awhile now.   Mostly, whether or not its available seems to depend on the creator of the app.  So, I'm still not seeing what's new here.
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  • Reply 10 of 11
    nicholfdnicholfd Posts: 828member
    GeorgeBMac said:

    I've been sharing subscriptions (like Apple Music) with my grandson on our FamilySharing setup for awhile now.   Mostly, whether or not its available seems to depend on the creator of the app.  So, I'm still not seeing what's new here.
    Apple Music is a "service" subscription - not an in-app subscription.  In-app subscription sharing is what is new.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 11 of 11
    GeorgeBMacgeorgebmac Posts: 11,421member
    nicholfd said:
    Apple Music is a "service" subscription - not an in-app subscription.  In-app subscription sharing is what is new.

    Frankly, I didn't pay a lot of attention -- but as I remember, we could share games downloaded from the app store under Family Sharing.   He moved on to XBox games and I don't play them -- so its been awhile.   That's not to say ALL apps were shareable, but some of them.   But I could be wrong.
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