I'm curious about the Family Sharing setup on Apple services. It seems a bit outdated that we can only use one person's payment details for the entire group, especially since families can consist of multiple adults. It's frustrating that to share movies and TV shows purchased on Apple TV/iTunes, everyone has to rely on one person's credit card. Is there any chance this will change? Why is it set up this way in the first place?
5 Answers
This setup is mainly intended for traditional household structures. It's designed for one person to manage the account, which can be limiting for a group of adults living together.
Exactly! It's like they’re not considering modern living arrangements. If everyone is putting money towards purchases, we should be able to share easily. One card doesn't fit every situation.
Right? With so many co-living situations today, it's time for Apple to rethink how Family Sharing works to keep up with how families actually live now.
The main reason is to prevent abuse of the Family Sharing feature. It discourages people from sharing movies with friends instead of just family. For those in the same household, it makes sense for one person to be billed as the organizer, and other adults can pay them back for their purchases. If that's a hassle, using Apple gift cards can help, but make sure to buy them directly from Apple to avoid issues.
Just to clarify, Apple TV as a subscription can be shared in a Family Sharing group without having to enable Purchase Sharing. However, iTunes purchases do require that feature to work. If others want access, they’ll need to top up their Apple accounts with gift cards. This way, the gift card balance is used first, so the organizer's card isn't charged unless necessary.
Totally get that! It's quite frustrating when families aren’t structured the same way anymore, and it doesn't seem like Apple is adapting to that reality.
That makes sense! But it’s tough since many families today have different setups and sometimes multiple Apple TVs. Maybe suggesting the gift card idea could help. It's not a perfect solution, but it could work for some.