Improve Purchase Sharing with adult members under family sharing plan

Question

Level 1

4 points

Improve Purchase Sharing with adult members under family sharing plan

I have a problem with Apple's Purchase Sharing option and the requirement to use the organizer's payment method for any family purchases. It is implemented in a limited, and IMHO, incorrect way. In the real world, an adult can pay for an item, like a book, and then share it with other family members no problem. They don't have to use the parent's payment method to purchase the book in order to share it.

So why do adult members in a family sharing plan have to use the organizer's payment method to purchase something? Why can't they use their own payment method, and since it's done under the family plan, the purchase can be shared, if they wish. Each adult member of the family group should be able to opt in to purchase sharing, as opposed to the organizer having single control. This is fine when the family is an adult and one or more children. Then this approach makes sense.

Did no one at Apple think about adult family member's sharing an Apple One subscription? My adult daughter just ran into a problem downloading a free app on her Apple TV where her appleid is part of a family subscription I purchased. This is an app she had downloaded previously without an issue. The solution was for her to add a payment method to her appleid account, something she never had to do before.

Posted on Mar 9, 2024 4:43 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Limnos

Level 10

426,809 points

Mar 10, 2024 10:30 AM in response to bluemike70

Each non-organizer member can pay for it themselves, they just have to use personal balance to do that. Apple nowhere says why they have the payment method they have implemented but it is clear that it results in members of a family group remain a group of people the Organizer can trust or has some degree of control (e.g., child age offspring). This ensures that a "family" doesn't become a group of people who barely know each other and are scattered in different parts of the country. So it is actually quite an ingenious system for ensuring that sharing only takes place between a group of people with a family level of relationship. It used to be that there was no sharing at all possible, but then Apple introduced family sharing. I am guessing this was in response to people complaining that they each had to buy a copy, whereas when they were using books or CD or videos they only needed to buy one copy for a family. Also remember that Apple just distributes the media. It's the media owners who have a big say in how it can be distributed and under what conditions. So the system is a compromise between old-style sharing of physical media and finding a way to restrict unlimited file sharing.

If you have a better method to suggest then I am sure Apple would like to hear about it. Product Feedback - Apple

Based on: How to share apps and purchases with your family - Apple Support and How apps, content, and subscriptions from Apple are billed - Apple Support

1. If anybody in the family buys or subscribes to something, Apple first attempts to charge the item to that individual's Apple Account (Apple ID) balance, if any.

2. If a family member does not have enough personal Apple Account balance, any excess will be charged to the Family Organizer's primary payment method (usually a card of some kind). The Organizer's personal balance will not be used for purchases made by other family members. If Apple cannot bill the primary payment method, the Organizer will need to make another payment method the primary method. With Family Sharing the Organizer always has to have at least one functioning payment method.

Also note: "Some purchases, including gifts, can't be billed to Apple ID balance and will be charged to the family organizer's payment method." "Some subscriptions might not be charged to Apple ID balance."

Ref:

- Family purchases and payments - How to share apps and purchases with your family - Apple Support

- How apps, content, and subscriptions from Apple are billed - How apps, content, and subscriptions from Apple are billed - Apple Support

- Check your Apple ID balance - Check your Apple Account balance - Apple Support

- Add a payment method to your Apple ID - Add a payment method to your Apple ID - Apple Support

Adding funds to your Apple ID balance:

- How to redeem your Apple Gift Card or App Store & iTunes gift card - Apple Support

- Add money to your Apple Account balance - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 2

bluemike70 Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 23, 2024 1:30 PM in response to Limnos

Ok, regarding " This ensures that a "family" doesn't become a group of people who barely know each other and are scattered in different parts of the country.". As the family organizer, why would I invite people I don't know? I wouldn't. This is a family comprised of adult children. I guess what I failed to mention is my daughter has two appleids, one to use with her kids, and thus maintain control, and one to use with out Apple One plan. For the one used for Apple One, she did not have a payment method attached to it. Since all the services included under Apple One are "free", i.e., already paid for, she didn't think she needed one. The only exception, as it turns out, is the App store. Apparently even for free apps, like Disney+, she needed a payment method. Once she added one, she was good to go.

And of course, my initial comment is off the mark about members using their own payment method. Of course they can, and they need to, since I, as the organizer, did not turn on Purchase Sharing. That little item seems to have been left out of the info you posted. With that NOT turned on, then the member must have some sort of payment method assigned, apparently even for "free" apps. So in effect, for all app purchases, regardless.

The problem we encountered is the error message my daughter received was totally irrelevant. The problem had nothing to do with a previous purchase, or that the family organizer needed to update their billing information.

The problem was:

a) Purchase Sharing is not turned on

b) the member does not have a payment method setup, or an account balance available.

Once my daughter added her credit card as a payment method to her appleid account, she was able to download the app. I, as the organizer, had to do nothing.

Reply

Answer 3

Limnos

Level 10

426,809 points

Mar 23, 2024 2:03 PM in response to bluemike70

If you think the system is producing an error --> Product Feedback - Apple

Reply

Improve Purchase Sharing with adult members under family sharing plan

Similar questions