Q: How do I Family Share in-app purchases?

Unfortunately, that's not possible

But can a family member still make an in-app purchase even it this means that the family will have paid for it twice?

You can still make IAPs per user, you just can't share that across the "family sharing" :/

There is a way to get around it, as it worked for me!

I turned on family sharing for my son. Now I have set up an Apple ID account for him too. His ipad was under my Apple ID account but I have since restored the ipad to factory settings, setting it up as his own now (you don't need to do this step, but I chose to do it so everything on his ipad is under his account now).

When I logged into the App store on his ipad, using his Apple ID account I can access the apps that I have purchased (I being the main account holder). However I had the same issue as you, that I couldn't family share the in-app purchases.

To get around this on his ipad, I logged off from the app store with his Apple ID account and then logged into it again using my Apple ID account. Therefore I could download the original apps that I had purchased for him + the in-app purchases. Then I logged out of the app store using my Apple ID account and logged in again using his Apple ID Account. Bingo now the full app is on his ipad!

Then I synced his ipad to the itunes library on my PC, so the apps are now in his library. It would be also wise to do a backup so you don't have to repeat this process again.....

Cheers

Out of curiosity ... after the apps are reinstalled using your Apple ID, and the App Store ID on the device is switched back to the user's .... what happens when there's an app update? Does iOS make you switch back to your Apple ID for the update?

Sorry, took a while to get back to you because I had to wait for an update. After the apps are reinstalled using my Apple ID on the device and is switched back to my son's Apple ID, the apps will update under his Apple ID account as well as under my Apple ID account - so there is no issue there!

just to clarify... so once you switch out of your Apple ID and back onto your Son's Apple ID (on his device), the apps that were installed under your Apple ID will continue to update on his device? Do you have to enter your password again when the apps want to update on his device?

It's estrange that family can share purchased apps, but not the in-app purchases.

My kids have each their Apple id ; now and then one gets an in-app purchase, but that cannot be shared with the other.

I'll try the workaround described.

Anyway, is it missing functionality, a bug, or has Apple made a conscious decision to be like that?

Is this something that Apple may update in the future? It seems weird to be able to share the app and not the in app purchases across the family.

We are fellow users, we won't know until if/when Apple announce something