Shared iPad - How to enable it for home use

Like many of you, I have an iPad that is shared at home between the family. I've read about Shared iPad feature that was release in iOS 9.3 for students/classroom use. We now have iOS 10 and my question is... how can I setup my iPad with this feature for a home use enviroment?



Thanks in advance for your feedback.

iPad Air, iOS 10.1.1

Posted on Nov 16, 2016 5:58 AM

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6 replies

Nov 16, 2016 6:30 AM in response to Nsoares

That feature is still not available for home use. It is only for education and requires a significant server side investment and setup to handle storing each users profile, and pushing it out to the device as demanded by changing users.


For personal and home use, an iPad is still essentially a single user or single account device with no mechanism of keeping content private or separate from anyone who has the screen lock passcode and access to the device.


See http://www.apple.com/education/it/

Nov 16, 2016 7:41 AM in response to Nsoares

As Michael so succinctly describes it, the Apple business model has seen fit to keep the iGadgets as single user/single owner devices for personal/home usage. This is twofold: in the device as a whole as well as content access control in individual apps. And a multi-user setup is quite complex and costly in setting up and operating, making it unfeasible for one or a limited number of devices.


Best we can do is continue demanding a change via the feedback link: iPad

Nov 16, 2016 8:11 AM in response to Courcoul

The shared setup has some significant limitations for a home user. It requires a dedicated 24/7 server, and it only works as long as the devices are on the same intranet. So it would not work for a home user at all unless the device never leaves the home and the network that the server is also hosted on. At present it is designed for use by schools who have carts of iPads under a managed deployment but not enough to give each student one full time.


I'd be surprised if Apple has not thought about this for both home, and enterprise deployments (the tech news sites and blogs certainly have since iOS 9.3 introduced shared iPads for education). But I'd imagine the Education system is the current test bed, and they need to work out how to simplify the storage, management and push of individual user profiles without requiring a dedicated server and admin for the system, and using a simplified managed deployment app.


Perhaps they could adapt something using iCloud and a shared user subscription service where the server & service admin would be handled by Apple for users. The crux of it is though that it's not as simple as flipping a setting on the iPad or installing a simple app. The deployment side and user profile management is somewhat complex and would typically, at the very least, be highly frustrating for the average home computer user.


All we users can do is wait and see what develops.

Nov 16, 2016 8:59 AM in response to Michael Black

Apple's ongoing strategic partnership with IBM might augur development in that multiuser on a singe device direction. Unless profit trumps usability and everyone needs to get one. And talking about trumping, let's not forget that Apple still needs to get back into the good graces of the new Administration. The San Bernardino affaire and Apple's dependency of the Chinese supply chain and assembly model can and will be a liability.

Nov 16, 2016 11:28 AM in response to Courcoul

I think that the question is almost important and very good to know about IPad how to enable sharing many others users. Basically now apple device or IPad under option constructed for sharing supported many others users but there is not the topic of file sharing matter. Here the prime issued to be shared that is how to network shared between IPad on many users. It is possible and very well way internet can be assigned one network under many devices and users. A Wi-Fi network or Wi-Fi internet how to be configured between apple or iPad device that is who would be done who has very well known about networking,Ipv4,routing etc.

Here I tried to express that first we get Wi-Fi based internet so now we check that our device on internet or Wi-Fi router name or signal appeared if the signal we found after we need to assign internet provider what are the system given to get internet that time internet provider gave dynamically dhcp,pppoe and static their from one way assigned every one or several devices and users get internet same network under. we see that my IPad has internet then I am enabled to distribute my IPad from internet another devices and users. now how we IPad from some others system applied to give internet according to the pc,laptop and devices. our apple or iPad device is the center Wi-Fi router internet constructed such as apple device network setting--->Wi-Fi router named--->under Internet or router named under you get internet automatically and redistribute same way another all devices or others users same network under.
----> enabled join network--->several individual network is seen after you preferred network from chose--->internet get after------>distribute .Hotspot is one option where from you Wi-Fi password assign another apple devices,pc laptop in to get internet.

Here we only describe device how to get internet but Wi-Fi router under first configuration needs from pc,laptop or apple device so without well expertise about network I thought that can't be done.

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Shared iPad - How to enable it for home use

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