iTunes Match with Family Sharing IOS 8

I really hope Apple is reading these responses, as they are all valid to this annoying problem. With my Apple device echo system growing at home at a rapid rate (I'm sure Apple approves), I would think they would want to make this much easier for us to share our music with all our family members. I am a Apple Music Match subscriber, with all my family members each having their own Apple ID. This should make things easier, one would think...

Please guys fix this in iOS9

EASY SOLUTION... iTunes Match is only $25/year (or $2.00/mo) ... All you need to do is have your entire music selection on your local drive. Create a new iTunes account for the additional family member and purchase iTunes Match to sync to your existing library, thereby creating a second "cloud match" of your content and allowing your additional family members share your existing library of music on a second iTunes Match instance...

Apple could have made this easier and predicted families would want this... It could be an easy toggle on/off for an extra $2.00 per additional family user.

As was mentioned previously sharing a single iTunes account is a workaround NOT a solution 😉.

As much as I'd like Apple to wake up and address this, I'm it likely isn't a huge money maker for them. It may go the way of Home Sharing if Apple Music overshadows it too much (which I'm sure is happening in revenue already).

APPLE!! Please make a "Family Sharing" version of iTunes Match!!

Thanks!

Yup.

Although something tells me this is NEVER going to happen. As others in the thread have observed, it's likely a complicated rights issue. There's little upside for Apple in working to solve that, and they are pushing Apple Music (including Family Plan) hard with a big investment. My prediction is that sooner or later Match disappears and users are forced to adopt Apple Music. Hope I am wrong!

I also have this problem. I have about 5,000 original CD's that I have ripped. I still own them, they are in my attic.

Now my kids use apps that expect their iphone/ipad to have some music in the "my music" folder.

My kids iDevices have none as apple wont let me share it.

This is a restriction imposed by apple. I do not have this problem with the original physical CD. Any kid can put in any CD player. True family sharing.

This needs addressing ASAP. As it causes issues with the new APPLE TV accessing shared music collections.

Is there anyone in Apple with kids that actually use family sharing? They would understand the frustrations.

I am guessing most Apple are employees are single which would explain the selfish attitude.

You Are 100% Right.

My wife and I have about 300 cd's, on one match account. But if we can't share it, Oh Apple your product is worthless.

I will also start looking around for a cheaper product.

I must say: Apple, this is simply not reasonable.

25$ for a product that the Family can't share.

Sorry to say it, Apple I am disappointed

I find Apple eco system not very family friendly.

Perhaps there target market is middle to upper class rich singletons.

I have no issues with sharing a physical CD, purchased outside the app store. Playing on any CD player in my house or a friends.

Why cant I share the ripped version of this with my family.

This will only get more frustrating as I want my music collection to be available on my new Apple TV.

Windows sharing/media plater etc supporting DLNA is much better. Itunes/Apple sharing via computer sharing *****. i would like to ask the "green" company why I need to leave a PC on to share my music collection.

I use iTunes Match for al of my own CDs that I bought many many years ago that I have ripped onto my computer. I don't see why I shouldn't be able to share those CDs with my family. After all, if I play a CD in the house they can all access it. Even if I don't play it in the house, they can play the CD themselves. I think there needs to be a better solution. For the same reason as others here I use iTunes Match in order not to have to load all of my music onto the various devices. Our children like to listen to books on tape (or technically they are on CD) and since we have only 1 computer and their CD players have both seen better days and aren't worth replacing being able to store our music digitally instead is a brilliant thing. Not being able to draw from that at home library it not a brilliant thing.

Oh no. I'm in the same boat Allez Epic. I just went through the trouble (and it was trouble) of getting everyone's device of choice prepped and ready for sharing our extensive family library, purchased iTunes Match, secured individual Apple IDs instead just using mine...only to find out we can't all access the music we purchased in one form or another. I'm so mad right now. I am a fan of this brand but I'm so disappointed. If it is a rights issue then they should have cleared it before taking our money. I feel scammed.😕

This is so dumb. I am sure this has everything to do with licensing rather than something that Apple has overlooked, but please allow us to pay a bit more and make our lives simple.

I could simply copy the music to my wifes mac, setup match for her, but this would then need maintaining overtime I added to the household library. What a waste of time when we have Family Sharing enabled.

Finally! Other folks with the same issue! I'm in the same boat! Apple has never done a good job at explaining anything! Don't get me wrong. I love Apple products but, we are left to figure out all the features by ourselves! I've been on board ever since my IIe! Just wish I would have invested in stock back then. We have always had an iTunes Match account (from the beginning) and had all the families devices logged in under my iTunes account to listen share the music. After all, it's our legally purchased library that I've ripped and uploaded to my cloud. Our family loves music! I even preach to friends and family to get them to sign up!

I don't see how it could be any sort of licensing or rights issue. Our family owns every single track! Many live and one-of-a-kind recordings that we recorded! That's the big reason why we won't sign up for Apple Music. It won't have everything we have.

When Family Sharing came out, I changed things around and have each device set up with individual iCloud and iTunes accounts. My son is able to "ask" for apps that me or the wife approves. This was great so he never new the account password and we knew what he was installing. I recently got to looking on my son's phone (6s) and noticed that he didn't have any music and it wanted him to sign up for match rather than turn it on. I logged out of his iTunes account and used mine to enable Match. This completely screwed things up. Now he can't ask for apps at all. I'm guessing because the phone thinks it's now me. Why won't Apple make Match part of the Family Sharing? Makes no sense!!!! APPLE PLEASE FIX THIS!

Everyone's ignoring/missing the point of Y3llow L4b's post on the first page of this thread, which solves the problem completely! In Settings, you can use different Apple ID's, on the same device, for different things! On each device, use the individual family member's Apple ID for everything else EXCEPT iTunes and App Stores. In Settings, under iTunes and App Stores, use the original (master) Apple ID that has all the music rights. This has been possible on iOS from day one.

Thanks flewis, I noticed that suggestion and it sounds promising but I've got a couple of questions if you're able to help.

Firstly, I can see that it's possible to use a different ID for 'iTunes and App Stores' on the iPhone but is something similar available on the desktop so my wife can access our music library via my iTunes Match account on her MacBook? Secondly, if I switch to my ID for 'iTunes and App Stores' on her iPhone does that mean she'll loose all her apps? Many thanks!

OliverVH,

These are questions for Apple. I'm just another user like you. The way I understand it if your wife switches to your different apple ID for App Store and iTunes on her phone, she may loose her own purchases. I have no idea if there is an equivalent on the MacBook.

I have been with Apple for a while... well until 2014 when the iPhone 6 came out, I ditched Apple and moved to Android. Android is fun, but because it is more open, you try and do things and it doesnt quite play ball. Now with the iPhone 7 coming out I am being tempted back after a few year break!

Re this problem. If you are not too concerned about the billing side, I was sure that iTunes allows up to 5 devices? So can you not create a generic iTunes account with its own billing details, call it "family account" or something, then subscribe to iTunes match through it? Then to give other family members access, just log in to this new iTunes family account on your device and authorise their device (this will include apps though aswell - but as a benefit it will include movies and TV). They should be able to access your iTunes match content I am sure?

When I come back to Apple fully, I might test this theory. But like many others, this doesn't solve your billing issues. A solution here could be to set up a separate family top up card and use that? It prevents the kids from paying for expensive things and you can top it up now and again. Or as you are the sole controller of that pre-paid card, you can see the transactions going through and then reduce their pocket money?! :-) or get them to pay you in cash. My 6 year old isn't quite into this stuff yet, but I am sure I will learn a lot more about this kind of problem when she is old enough.

Does anyone know if this approach would work?

Something else also worth considering, and I do not know that much about the family sharing thing by Apple, and that is, what happens to the content you purchase in all of your Apple accounts? Keeping it all in one place might be a good idea, so that you can hand down your logins to the younger generation and keep all of the music in one place and in one huge master music, video and app account.