iPad set up advice for elderly parent

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iPad set up advice for elderly parent

Hi -

There is some info in this community, as well as on the web, but nothing that directly answers some of my questions.

I'm setting up an iPad for my father who does not live near me, but wondering if it would be better to set up with their current gmail address, or create an account Family Sharing account? I am torn. Looking for benefits / disadvantages.

I can see adding him via family sharing that there would be some benefits of using our Apple Music subscription, iCloud storage, maybe easier to troubleshoot, access to apps we have, etc. Some things would be easier.

But I'm guessing he'd have access to our mail and other things that he doesn't need to see (not an issue of trust, just trying to keep things simple and in his own world.) Maybe accidentally buying content...other issues. But I see benefits of having an independent account, as most of stuff he'd want to do (FaceTime, Find My Friends (which would be us), subscribe to our calendar), are easy to accomplish.

I'm curious as to anyone's recommended advice.

Many thx.

- Greg

Posted on Apr 29, 2018 6:51 AM

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Answer 1

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Apr 30, 2018 12:46 PM in response to gsteeno

Hey gsteeno!

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. I understand you're wondering if there are any benefits to using Family Sharing in your present situation, and I'd be happy to touch on some points that might make the decision easier for you. First off, since the only person that can ultimately decide what's best for you is you, the best thing you can do is better acquaint yourself with the basics of Family Sharing—how it's traditionally used, the features it offers, how those features can help you micro-manage different aspects of the account, etc. Here's a great article for doing that: Family Sharing - Apple Support

That said, given the limited information about your personal situation you provided in your post, I can think of a few specific features that might benefit you in the long run. The first one is sharing purchases, which you already mentioned so I'm assuming you're familiar with the feature. To keep it simple, anybody connected to the Family Sharing plan will be able to download apps purchased by anyone else on the plan (with the exception of those apps where the developer has appointed the download as a one-time license).

The next feature I think you might benefit from is sharing locations. This would allow you to see where your father is, and though you mention there's no distrust, I can imagine knowing where he is might bring peace of mind regarding his well-being at times.

Another useful feature is shared calendars, so you can keep up with any appointments he might have, and depending on how the calendar is configured, you could even update the calendar on his behalf remotely (though if you were to maintain the calendar for him, he'd still need to let you know what to add).

Like I said before, be sure to look at the Family Sharing article because you might be surprised to find a really helpful feature you weren't aware of before. The above features are just the more helpful ones I can think of for your situation, but they definitely aren't the only ones. If you have any questions about these features, or any others in the article, just let me know so I can elaborate for you.

Cheers!

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iPad set up advice for elderly parent

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