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How to configure iCloud for a family

WIth the move from MobileMe to iCloud, I am challenged with how to best configure multiple Apple ID's, Mobile Me legacy accounts, and iCloud accounts for a family of four.

Intentions:

- Have the ability to unify family purchased music, movies, apps, as well as photos into one place

- All family members have the ability to access above media library

- Share this media in a way that is low maintenance and more secure than sharing with friends

Pre-iCloud:

- A single Apple ID (me@primary.com) that I use for Apple store purchasing, this community, etc.

- A single MobileMe account (me@me.com) that until now I have used on all iOS and Mac devices INCLUDING MY WIFE AND KIDS (oops?)

Since iCloud:

- Setup the me@primary.com as an iCloud account (had no legacy data)

- Migrated me@mac.com from MobileMe to iCloud account

- Setup wife@me.com as a new iCloud account

- Setup boy@me.com as a new iCloud account

- Setup girl@me.com as a new iCloud account

The trouble is, I have no way to 'link' me@mac.com, wife@, boy@, and girl@ to do any sharing that someone@me.com or someoneelse@me.com couldn't also access.

What's the "Apple way" of setting up a family in iCloud?

Posted on Oct 13, 2011 4:27 AM

47 replies

Nov 28, 2013 10:27 PM in response to proaudioguy

Hi,

regarding the pictures I had the same problem. My solution : I bought a NAS harddrive 2TB, plugs via Ethernet onto the router and can be accessed by each MAC. By now there any kind of Movies, pictures, files and backup on it. The good part on an advanced NAS drive : you set up your own cloud and you not limited to 5 GB....

Feb 4, 2014 2:56 AM in response to proaudioguy

I have a similar problem. I have all units set up under one account, all plug into one iMac for app/musci sync options, all under one icloud for find my iUnit monitoring (should we need it) and the major headache is the contact sharing when texting or emailing, which I understand is controlled by the iCloud account.

Apple need to really focus on some decent parental controls so one account can control all but you can decide if specific units share its contacts with the others (unless I'm missing something).

I don't really want to be setting up multiple accounts to do something that should be optionised on individual units!

When I was the only one with a unit it was fine but now we're a multi unit family with young children and trying to protect I'm really starting to see the limitations of these devices.

How to configure iCloud for a family