How Family Sharing works on iOS 8 - iPhone 6 preview
One of the features which kept itself out of the headlines when Apple announced iOS 8 was Family Sharing. Let’s face it, it doesn’t sound terribly flashy and nowhere near as exciting as HealthKit or HomeKit, but when you get a good look at it you might start to think otherwise.
But with plenty of handy features already available on our iPhones, how does Family Sharing fit in? What can you actually do with Family Sharing? Well, let’s find out!
What is Family Sharing?
To put it simply, Family Sharing is a feature which lets you share all of your iTunes library with up to 6 different family members. This means that any song you have, your brother will have access to, or if your dad has just downloaded a TV programme you need to catch up on, you can get your hands on it.
The feature allows access to music, apps, books, TV programs and films, 5 family memers without the hassle of multiple accounts. Basically, it makes it far easier to manage your collection of apps, and could save you money if you are into the same style music or other entertainment.
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What does Family Sharing on iOS 8 do?
As we mentioned before, Family Sharing is a great way to share music and other iPhone compatible forms of entertainment between you and five other family members. Thankfully though, it can handle way more than just the odd song being nicked from your brother’s iTunes playlist…
Photo Sharing
Having a physical photo album is such a 90’s thing! Now, with Family Sharing you can have a family photo stream, which all of its members can add to from each of their own handsets. It doesn’t matter if it’s a picture of the cat snuggling up with your dog, or a picture of your son’s first steps, all of it can be shared with your loved ones through the Family Sharing feature.
Approve Kids’ Purchases
iPhone’s aren’t cheap, but they cost a heck of a lot more when your kids start buying all sorts of apps and paying for in-game purchases. Family Sharing has effectively ended this common fear amongst parents by having family members seek permission to buy things. So, if one of the little ones thinks it’s a good idea to pay out £100 on in-game Disney app purchases, you can quickly rebuff them onto a more wallet-friendly game instead.
Family Calendar
Prefer to keep things organised rather than come up with plans on the fly? Well Family Sharing can help you out, by introducing a family calendar for you to keep track of. So if your brother has a big football game coming up that you don’t want to miss, you can stick it in the calendar so all the family know. Of course, if you just want to make sure everyone remembers when it’s curry night it’s great for that as well.
Location Services
Keeping track of kids is by far one of the most challenging parts of being a parent, especially when they’re at the age where they can go out with friends and come back any time before 9pm. Luckily Family Sharing on iOS 8 lets you grab a location on any of your linked members phone, meaning unless they’ve gone and lost it, you know exactly where they are.
Could it be THE feature of iOS 8?
Whilst features like HomeKit and HealthKit will offer boundless opportunities for those willing to spend some cash on wearable tech or smart appliances at home, Family Sharing reaches out to an audience fully prepared already. Plenty of families already boast a small group of Apple clutter just waiting to be linked together, and with its practical application, Family Sharing could well be the most used feature of iOS 8.
Whether you need it to make sure your 6 year old daughter doesn’t spend a small fortune on your iPad’s app store, or if you need it to make sure all the family know when your granddad’s birthday is, Family Sharing could prove a big hit.
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