It isn't uncommon for families to desire to use the same apps, play the same games, and scout the aforementioned movies. Simply y'all don't want to have to pay for them all multiple times.

Google'southward Family unit Library solves the problem. It lets you share your Play Shop purchases with the residue of your family, including movies, books, and games. It also makes information technology easy to fix a family calendar, maintain collaborative lists, and share photos.

Let's take a await at what you need to know about Family Library, and how to get started.

How Google Play Family Library Works

Family Library is Google'southward service for making it easier to share your purchased apps, movies and Tv set shows, and books with the other members of your household.

As part of the setup process, you demand to create a family unit group of upwards to five people (plus yourself), and this family group then makes sharing easier within other apps as well.

Besides as the Google Play Store, it currently works with Agenda, Keep, and Photos.

The master benefit to Family unit Library is that if there are people in your house who use the same paid app or want to watch the same pic, they no longer need to pay individually. With handy controls, you lot can ensure that the things you share are age-appropriate for all your family members.

A few other things you need to know:

  • Anybody needs a Google business relationship if they're to be added to a family group.
  • Non every paid app is shareable, peculiarly if yous purchased it before July 2016.
  • Y'all cannot share in-app purchases.
  • A Family Library uses a shared payment method, and you can set it so that you lot need to corroborate most purchases.
  • Information technology isn't restricted to family members. You could use information technology with friends or piece of work colleagues too.
  • You're only allowed to be in ane group at a fourth dimension.
  • You can only switch groups once in a 12-month flow.

Prepare Up Family Library

To become started with setting up Family Library, open the Play Shop app on your phone.

  1. Tap your account avatar in the top correct corner and select Settings.
  2. Select Family unit, then Sign upwardly for Family Library.
  3. Click through the next couple of screens, which explicate some basic details about the service. So select a family payment method when prompted. Your carte will be shared with all the members of your family grouping.
  4. Adjacent, choose whether or not to add your purchased items to your family unit account. Yous can either add together everything in majority, or add together them ane at a time (if y'all want to share simply select items).
  5. Finally, invite some family members, and yous're washed.

Add Family Members

  1. To add family members, click Continue when you lot run into the Invite your family unit screen during setup. Or from the Play Shop, cull Settings > Family > Manage family members.
  2. Before yous can add new members to your family yous'll need to confirm your payment method, which includes entering the CVC code on the back of your credit menu.
  3. Once done, you tin can send up to five invites to people you want to add to your family group. Your contacts are listed, and then select whatsoever you want to include, or just blazon their email accost under Add together recipients. Individuals can only be part of ane group at a fourth dimension. When done, striking Send.

Your recipients will receive an invite and must accept it before they can access the group. When they accept, they'll besides follow a simple setup process which includes the option to share their own purchased items with the family group.

Manage Your Family Group

In the Play Store, go to Settings > Family > Manage family members.

As the person who created the group, you lot are assigned the part of Family managing director. Tap Manage parental privileges, and you tin can give one other person in your group the role of Parent. This means they will be able to approve purchases fabricated with the Family Group payment method.

You can control who does and doesn't demand blessing to buy stuff by tapping each name in the Manage family members screen.

By default, anyone under 18 (co-ordinate to the age ready in their Google account) needs blessing for all purchases. Those over eighteen need approving only for in-app purchases. Y'all can change this for each person, and even fix it to No blessing if y'all want.

Remove Family Members

If y'all desire to end using Family Library, y'all can delete your group. In the Play Store, become to Settings > Family > Manage family members, and so striking the three-dot bill of fare button in the peak right corner.

delete family group

Select Delete family unit group and then hit Delete and enter your countersign when prompted. Recall that you can only switch family unit groups once in any 12-month catamenia.

Using Family Library, and a family unit grouping within information technology, lets you share lots of the apps and content you lot've purchased. It as well enables you to share notes, calendars, and photos.

Apps, Movies, TV Shows, and Books

Family Library enables you to command what content you share, so your kids won't automatically become access to all your movies, for instance.

First, go to Settings > Family > Family unit Library settings. Here, you can set up whether to share your paid Apps & Games, Movies & TV shows, and Books automatically, or do it manually. You tin also remove your shared content through these screens.

To meet all the shareable content you have, tap your account icon in the Play Shop and select Library > Family Library. Your apps, movies, and books are all listed here. Tap 1 and set sharing on or off using the toggle in the Family unit Library section of the particular's description.

You tin can also change the sharing settings in the individual apps for each type of content. For example, select the Family Library toggle to unshare a book through the Play Books app.

family library toggle

Music

If you lot employ the YouTube Music streaming service, you tin share access with upward to five other members of your family. You need to upgrade to the family plan commencement, and then add people through your Family Library setup.

You lot can't share music you've purchased outright through Google Play with others on Family Library.

Calendars

When you set Family Library, a new shared Family calendar is created in Google Calendar. Anyone who joins your family group will also get admission to this calendar, and they can add their own appointments and reminders.

If your family unit calendar doesn't show up automatically in the app on your telephone, log in to calendar.google.com and select it under My Calendars on the sidebar.

Notes

Google Keep too works with your family group. You lot tin share notes and lists with everyone else, although you need to do it manually on a note-by-note basis.

To do this, open Keep and select the item you want to share. Hit the bill of fare button at the bottom right of the screen and choose Collaborator from the list. On the next screen, y'all'll see your family group listed. Only tap it to add together, and so hit Salve. (You can likewise blazon in email addresses to share notes and lists with other people.)

Your group will now be listed under the Collaborators. Hitting the X button to remove it again.

Photos

The other app that can work in conjunction with your family group is Google Photos, which lets you easily share photos and videos.

It'south simpler than the other services, finer merely adding a Family Group option to the Share carte. Withal, it's a good way of easily showing your immediate friends and family shots you lot want them to see. Information technology puts the images into their Photos business relationship and they can comment on them easily either via the spider web or the app.

For this, you need at least two other people plus yourself in your group.

Select the images you desire to share by long pressing on the commencement one, and then tapping to add more photos. Hit the Share button and select your family unit group from the list that opens. Add together a bulletin if y'all desire, so hit Transport.

To manage the photos you're sharing, select the Sharing tab in Google Photos. To unshare an image or group of images, tap on it. Hitting the menu push button in the top right and select Sharing options, then set the Share toggle to the Off position.

Other Sharing Services

As we spend ever more on digital content and subscriptions, family plans are becoming increasingly common. Apple offers the Family Sharing service for its Mac and iOS devices, Amazon allows y'all to share Prime number membership, and Spotify and Netflix offer packages for the whole family unit.

Google's version is particularly attractive because it's gratis. Even if you lot don't need to utilize it much, there's no reason not to sign up.

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Andy Betts (216 Manufactures Published)

Andy is a freelance writer and junior editor for Android at MUO. He'due south been writing near consumer tech since the early 2000s for a wide range of publications, and has a passion for all things mobile.

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