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Family icloud/apple id acct advice?

Just updated to a 5S and store rep suggested I create a separate icloud account from the family.


But we want to keep things simple: less accounts = less passwords to remember = simplicity?


Current:


We have ONE family email account which is the same icloud/apple id account.


This one account allows my husband and I to share calendar; contacts; notes.


However -- there are some contacts that I don't wish to have and vice versa.


So far, we've just deleted those unwanteds/duplicates from our individual contacts.


Dilemna: How do we continue to share our calendar but just not all of our contacts?


In addition -- I'd like to continue monitoring our daughter's text messages/email messages and purchases. (she's only 10)


Sales rep suggested we create separate icloud accounts.


Is this the way to go?


Isn't it better to stick with status quo?


Thank you

iPhone 5s, and for our home/family iPAD too

Posted on Jan 30, 2014 6:21 AM

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Posted on Jan 30, 2014 8:28 AM

Welcome to the Apple Community.


Ideally you should each have your own iCloud account, that way you can each manage your own mail, contacts, calendars, documents etc and avoid unintentional deletions and unwanted editing. If there is information you wish to share between you, this can be done with a secondary account.


Having separate iCloud accounts, doesn't mean you have to have separate iTunes accounts, so whilst you keep your personal data separate, you can continue to share music, apps, books, TV shows, movies etc.


From what you say, you may wish to keep the things just the way they are, or you may wish to share the data you mention using secondary accounts and continue to use a common ID for messages so that you can see your daughters texts.

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Jan 30, 2014 8:28 AM in response to dragongk

Welcome to the Apple Community.


Ideally you should each have your own iCloud account, that way you can each manage your own mail, contacts, calendars, documents etc and avoid unintentional deletions and unwanted editing. If there is information you wish to share between you, this can be done with a secondary account.


Having separate iCloud accounts, doesn't mean you have to have separate iTunes accounts, so whilst you keep your personal data separate, you can continue to share music, apps, books, TV shows, movies etc.


From what you say, you may wish to keep the things just the way they are, or you may wish to share the data you mention using secondary accounts and continue to use a common ID for messages so that you can see your daughters texts.

Jan 30, 2014 10:00 AM in response to dragongk

I assume you are all using one ID at the moment (you@iCloud.com) for iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime and iTunes.


If your husband created his own ID (his@iCloud.com) and your daughter her own (jnr@iCloud.com), then you could do the following.


iCloud. Each of you use your own address, this keeps your contacts, calendars, photos, documents etc seperate, it also gives you all your own 5GB of cloud space for this data and back ups of your devices.

iMessage. If you want to see your daughters messages, then I'd suggest you and your daughter logs in with jnr@iCloud.com and your husband with his@iCloud.com.

FaceTime. You can't really monitor FaceTime by sharing an ID, so I'd suggest you all log in to FaceTime with your own ID's.

iTunes & App Stores. I'd suggest you all use you@iCloud.com, that way you all have use of the existing purchases of apps, music, books etc.


In order to share your calendars, there are two ways.


1. You (or/and vice versa) could use the share feature in the calendar app (Tap calendars at the bottom of the calendar screen, then tap the i next to the calendar you want to share and add your husband to the shared section on the next page).


2. You (or/and vice versa) can add his@iCloud.com to your device as a secondary iCloud account (settings > mail, contacts, calendars), this allows you to share mail, calendars, contacts, reminders and notes, which you can enable individually as you wish.

Jan 30, 2014 10:32 AM in response to fromsouth

Thank you both Sir Churchill and FromSouth for your help.


More questions if you don't mind.


What icloud acct then to set up on the family iPad?


And how do I determine who's "name"/id gets used as for the "text" message feature on the iPad.


Is there a way to receive two accounts? Again, my way of monitoring our daughters texts (just for security sake)?


I should take a class from Apple.

Jan 30, 2014 10:55 AM in response to dragongk

You'd want to use you@iCloud.com for iTunes on the family iPad.


As for iCloud, I guess you'd add whoever got the most value out of having their ID on there Remember you could add secondary accounts, but secondary accounts don't sync photos or documents (Pages, Numbers etc)


Again, you'd need to decide who's ID you wanted to use for Messages, it might possibly be best if it was jnr@iCloud, which two of you are already using.

Family icloud/apple id acct advice?

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