How Do Family Sharing And Itunes Gift Cards Interact?

In the Apple Family Sharing system, any new purchase made by a family member is billed directly to the family’s account, unless they have gift or store credit. The Ask to Buy feature allows family members to make purchases directly from their personal Apple ID balance, and if there isn’t enough balance, the rest is taken from the credit.

When a family member in a Family Sharing group makes a purchase, their personal Apple ID balance is charged. If there isn’t enough balance to cover the charge, the rest is taken from the credit. To avoid this, it is recommended to purchase a gift card or refill your iTunes balance to ensure no purchase is made on store credit. Discounted gift cards can be used for family members, regardless of how they are labeled in Family Sharing.

When ‘Purchase Sharing’ is turned on, family members can download eligible purchases from iTunes, the App Store, or Apple Books. iTunes will charge to the credit balance of the purchaser before hitting the Family Organizer’s credit card. With Family Sharing, up to six family members can download each other’s iTunes Store purchases to their own computers and devices. Family members can also hide their purchases.

When using iTunes Gift card credit for purchases, the Family Organizer’s payment method must be valid. If you use Family Sharing, your family members can’t spend your Apple Account balance, and only you will have access to those funds, even if you are the Family Sharing Organizer. The payment method for Family Sharing is automatic.

How Does Apple Card Family Sharing Work?

Apple Card Family enables co-ownership of an Apple Card account within a Family Sharing group, allowing two partners to merge their credit lines into a single account while fostering healthy financial habits. Participants, including anyone aged 13 or older, can be invited, allowing families to manage shared spending and credit-building together. Each Apple Card account can accommodate up to six people, comprising two co-owners and four additional participants.

The co-owners, who must be 18 or older, share full account management responsibilities and can set specific spending limits, providing a controlled environment for younger users. This feature promotes teamwork in financial management, as everyone can track purchases and manage payments seamlessly. Additionally, it helps improve credit scores through responsible usage and timely payments. Apple Card Family integrates with other Apple services in the Family Sharing group, enhancing convenience and accessibility for music, TV, games, and more.

Overall, this innovative feature is designed to empower families to share and grow their financial wellness collectively, fostering transparency and cooperation within the household while utilizing shared resources effectively. By bringing together family members around the Apple Card, Apple encourages a collaborative approach to personal finance.

How Do I Transfer Apple Cash To A Family Member?

You can add a gift card to your Apple account balance and transfer its value via Apple Cash to family members, including children, who can utilize it for purchases on platforms like the App Store or iTunes Store. For families using Family Sharing, setting up Apple Cash for members under 18 involves one adult managing the setup process. When a family member makes a purchase and lacks sufficient personal Apple ID balance, alternative payment arrangements might be necessary.

Apple Cash allows you to send and receive money without sharing personal details such as phone numbers or emails. Weekly, biweekly, or monthly payments are possible, and the process can be done easily through the Wallet app on your iPhone.

The family organizer can also share an Apple Card within the group and monitor the Apple Cash balance. Children can be invited to join the Family Sharing plan, allowing them to receive money instantly in their Apple Cash card, though bank transfers may take one to three days. To set up Apple Cash for kids, simply navigate to Family Sharing in your iPhone settings, select the child, and follow the steps to enable Apple Cash. Overall, Apple Cash Family facilitates seamless money transfers and purchases among family members.

Why Am I Not Getting Requests From Family Sharing?

If you're not seeing your Ask to Buy requests, start by checking which Apple ID you’re signed in with and ensure that Family Sharing is correctly set up. Confirm you’re using a supported device. If issues persist, try temporarily renaming the device for involved parents and children. To review Family Sharing settings, visit the Settings app, tap on your Apple ID, then select Family Sharing. As the family organizer, ensure that Purchase Sharing is enabled. Tapping on a family member's name allows you to verify if Ask to Buy is activated for their account.

If Ask to Buy is still unresponsive, check the organizing parent’s settings. After activating Ask to Buy, a child may see "Unable to Ask Permission" if there’s an account issue. Troubleshooting can include ensuring the correct Apple ID is used, confirming Purchase Sharing is enabled, and checking for software updates or network problems.

In some cases, turning the device off and on can resolve notification issues. If you’ve installed parental control applications like Safe Kids, ensure they are not interfering with Ask to Buy notifications. To summarize, follow these steps: verify your Apple ID, review Family Sharing settings, ensure the device compatibility, and troubleshoot by restarting your device or adjusting app permissions as necessary.

How To Get Purchased Music On Family Sharing?

To view or download music, open the Music app on your Mac, sign in, select Account > Purchased, and choose a family member from the pop-up menu to download desired items. For apps, use the App Store app similarly. With Family Sharing, you can access and download each other's iTunes Store purchases, which can be done using your iPhone or iPad through the App Store, Apple TV app, or Apple Books. To enable sharing, ensure that 'Purchase Sharing' is turned on in the Family Sharing settings. This allows all members to access shared purchases like songs, albums, movies, and apps as soon as they are made. Sign in with the same Apple ID used for Family Sharing, but note that not all content is shareable. If you're the family organizer, activating purchase sharing gives all family members access to purchased content. In the App Store or iTunes Store, simply navigate to the Purchased section, select a member, and download the content. This setup facilitates sharing purchases without needing a single Apple ID for the whole family.

What Is Apple Family Sharing?

Apple Family Sharing simplifies sharing purchases and subscriptions among family members, allowing up to six individuals to benefit without sharing their Apple IDs. This feature extends beyond iTunes to include App Store purchases, Apple Books, and an Apple Music family subscription. Setting it up involves inviting family members via email or text, with a family organizer responsible for managing purchases and payments.

The service supports sharing not just digital content, but also iCloud storage, family photo albums, calendars, and more, fostering collaboration and organization within households. Parents also have the option to establish parental controls for their children’s accounts.

Family Sharing enables seamless accessibility to Apple services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+, making it cost-effective and convenient for families. It allows for sharing purchases and subscriptions, promoting a unified digital experience across multiple devices. Families can connect their digital lives with minimal setup, enjoying shared access to music, films, TV shows, and apps.

Privacy is maintained, as sharing location is optional for users aged 13 and older. Introduced in iOS 8 in June 2014, Family Sharing enhances the Apple ecosystem, ultimately providing families with a collaborative and enriching digital environment.

What Is The Disadvantage Of Apple Family Sharing?

The existing problems with Apple Family Sharing include limited access to shared iCloud+ storage, difficulties in synchronizing files and data across devices, and confusion around managing the iCloud+ storage plan. A significant concern arises from the ability of any family member to erase all devices tethered to the family group, especially with location sharing enabled. When considering setting up a new Apple ID for a spouse, potential drawbacks emerge as Family Sharing is exclusive to Apple products, making it difficult for families with mixed-device preferences, like Android.

Each family member maintains privacy, leading to restrictions on visibility of each other’s files and photos, but this also creates some restrictions in sharing apps and services. Furthermore, in-app purchases and subscriptions may not be shareable. While management of finances under one account can lead to complications, such as unexpected charges, having separate Apple IDs allows each individual to retain 5GB of free iCloud storage. Managing devices from one computer is another consideration that may simplify usage.

Overall, while Family Sharing grants benefits like shared subscriptions, it also introduces significant limitations and challenges, particularly concerning privacy, compatibility, and storage management across different devices.

Can A Family Member Use ITunes Gift Card Credit?

In Family Sharing, a family member can utilize their iTunes Gift card credit for purchases, ensuring that charges can be billed to their account if they have gift or store credit. When a purchase is initiated, the organizer's account is billed unless the family member has available store credit, which is used first. The family organizer has the option to set the payment method, typically linked to their Apple ID or credit card. Any purchases are charged to available credits first, before charging the organizer's payment method.

Child accounts can have gift card credits applied, and family members can’t access the organizer’s Apple Account balance; they can only use their own credits for purchases like subscriptions to Apple Music or Apple TV+. If the organizer has a credit on their account, it will not be deducted for a family member's purchase. Purchase Sharing allows family members to access eligible purchases made by others.

It's important to note that any funds added to an Apple Account balance are tied to the individual and not shared with the family. Thus, Apple gift cards are treated independently, and Family Sharing requires a valid credit card to function properly.

Why Cant I Use My Own Payment Method On Family Sharing?

If you're part of a Family Sharing group as a non-organizer, you cannot use your own payment method; only the organizer can verify their payment method or disable purchase sharing. Family members can add funds to their accounts but can't utilize their own credit cards unless purchase sharing is turned off. If you're the organizer but don't want to share your payment method, you should disable purchase sharing, allowing you to share subscriptions like Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade while preventing sharing of individual purchases.

If you want your own payment method, consider leaving the Family Sharing group and creating a new one where you are the organizer. Remember, adult members still require shared payment methods, which can only be managed by the organizer. If your "Add" button is disabled, it indicates that you're in a Family Sharing group with active purchase sharing. Using gift cards linked to your Apple ID is a workaround if you don't want to share payment methods. However, all purchases made by children must go through their parents’ accounts, and the organization of payment methods is strictly regulated by Apple.

Why Can'T I Use My Apple Gift Card With Family Sharing?

In Family Sharing, only the organizer's credit card is permitted for purchases, preventing the addition of personal payment methods. Family members can buy iTunes Gift Cards, which will be applied to their account balance before the organizer’s credit card. If a child under 13 is part of Family Sharing, they are not able to leave the group or use their account independently. When a purchase is made, the personal Apple ID balance of family members is charged first, with any shortfall charged to the organizer's card.

Certain purchases might not be eligible for Apple Gift Cards. Each Apple Gift Card is tied to the individual's account, impacting both organizers and members. With Apple Card Family, co-ownership of the card is possible among Family Sharing members to help build credit. To manage payments, Family Sharing can be set up through the iPhone or iPad settings. If an Apple ID balance is insufficient for a purchase, the remaining amount defaults to the family organizer's primary payment method, which must always be verified. Family members over the age of 13 can exit Family Sharing, yet losing access to shared subscriptions might be a concern for some users.

Can You Share ITunes Purchases With Family Sharing?

Apple's Family Sharing feature allows up to six family members to share access to a range of digital content, including music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books. When purchase sharing is enabled by the family organizer, all group members gain immediate access to purchases made by others, which appear in the Purchased tab across Apple platforms like iTunes, the App Store, and Apple Books. Family members can also choose to hide specific purchases from the rest of the group.

The family organizer is responsible for managing payments for everyone’s purchases within the Family Sharing group, streamlining the purchase process. In addition to purchased content, Family Sharing facilitates the sharing of Apple subscriptions, such as Apple Music and Apple Arcade, as well as iCloud storage and photo albums.

The process to share iTunes and App Store content is straightforward; users can access and download purchases made by family members on devices like iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs. The organizer can enable "Ask to Buy" for children, giving them control over their kids' purchase approvals. It is important to note that not all apps are compatible with Family Sharing, so checking app compatibility is recommended. Overall, Family Sharing enhances the digital experience among family members by allowing the sharing of diverse content and services seamlessly.

What Happens If I Apply A Gift Card To My Apple ID?

Applying a gift card to your Apple ID allows you to use the funds for personal purchases, including family subscriptions like Apple Music and iCloud, without affecting your credit card for purchases made by other family members. Once you redeem an Apple gift card, you can spend the balance on various Apple products, apps, subscriptions, games, music, movies, and more, with accessibility across any device signed into your Apple ID. To check iCloud subscription status, navigate to Settings, then your name, and iCloud. If you see a capacity of 50 GB or higher, you have an iCloud subscription.

Additionally, prepaid Visa gift cards can be added to your Apple ID, enabling purchases in the App Store after funds are added. It's crucial to ensure you redeem the right type of gift card for it to reflect in your Apple ID balance. Apple offers the option to purchase products in-store with gift cards in regions where they are available. Note that if you used your Apple Account balance for a purchase, refunds will be given in the form of an Apple Gift Card when returning items with gift receipts.

Apple Wallet currently does not support manual gift card entries, but you may add these through retail apps. Remember that your Apple Account balance can't be used to send gifts or for certain purchases.