It isn't uncommon for families to want to utilize the same apps, play the same games, and watch the aforementioned movies. But you don't want to have to pay for them all multiple times.

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

Let'south have a await at what you need to know about Family Library, and how to go started.

How Google Play Family unit Library Works

Family Library is Google's service for making it easier to share your purchased apps, movies and TV 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 upwardly to five people (plus yourself), and this family grouping then makes sharing easier within other apps besides.

Besides as the Google Play Store, it currently works with Calendar, Proceed, and Photos.

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

A few other things you demand to know:

  • Everyone needs a Google account if they're to be added to a family unit group.
  • Not every paid app is shareable, especially if you lot purchased it earlier July 2016.
  • You cannot share in-app purchases.
  • A Family unit Library uses a shared payment method, and you can set up it then that you need to approve most purchases.
  • Information technology isn't restricted to family unit members. You lot could use it with friends or work colleagues too.
  • You lot're but allowed to exist in one group at a time.
  • You can only switch groups once in a 12-month period.

Prepare Family Library

To get started with setting upward Family unit Library, open the Play Store app on your phone.

  1. Tap your account avatar in the tiptop right corner and select Settings.
  2. Select Family, then Sign upwardly for Family Library.
  3. Click through the next couple of screens, which explicate some basic details most the service. Then select a family payment method when prompted. Your card will exist shared with all the members of your family grouping.
  4. Next, cull whether or not to add your purchased items to your family account. You can either add everything in bulk, or add them one at a fourth dimension (if y'all want to share only select items).
  5. Finally, invite some family members, and y'all're done.

Add Family Members

  1. To add family members, click Keep when you see the Invite your family unit screen during setup. Or from the Play Store, choose Settings > Family unit > Manage family members.
  2. Before you lot can add new members to your family you'll need to confirm your payment method, which includes entering the CVC code on the back of your credit menu.
  3. One time done, you can send upwardly to five invites to people you desire to add to your family unit grouping. Your contacts are listed, then select any y'all want to include, or only type their email address under Add recipients. Individuals tin can just be role of one grouping at a time. When done, hit Send.

Your recipients volition receive an invite and must accept it before they can admission the group. When they accept, they'll also follow a elementary setup procedure which includes the choice to share their ain purchased items with the family grouping.

Manage Your Family Grouping

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

Equally the person who created the grouping, yous are assigned the office of Family director. Tap Manage parental privileges, and you tin give one other person in your group the role of Parent. This means they volition be able to approve purchases made with the Family unit Group payment method.

You tin can command who does and doesn't need blessing to buy stuff by borer each name in the Manage family unit members screen.

Past default, anyone under 18 (according to the age set in their Google account) needs approval for all purchases. Those over 18 need approval but for in-app purchases. You can alter this for each person, and even set up it to No approval if you want.

Remove Family unit Members

If yous want to terminate using Family unit Library, you can delete your grouping. In the Play Shop, go to Settings > Family > Manage family members, then hitting the 3-dot card push in the top right corner.

delete family group

Select Delete family group then hit Delete and enter your countersign when prompted. Remember that y'all can only switch family groups once in any 12-month menstruation.

Using Family Library, and a family group within it, lets you share lots of the apps and content you've purchased. It too enables yous to share notes, calendars, and photos.

Apps, Movies, TV Shows, and Books

Family Library enables y'all to control what content you share, so your kids won't automatically go access to all your movies, for case.

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

To meet all the shareable content you take, tap your business relationship icon in the Play Store and select Library > Family Library. Your apps, movies, and books are all listed here. Tap one and set sharing on or off using the toggle in the Family unit Library section of the particular'due south description.

Y'all tin likewise modify the sharing settings in the individual apps for each blazon of content. For case, select the Family unit Library toggle to unshare a book through the Play Books app.

family library toggle

Music

If yous employ the YouTube Music streaming service, yous tin share access with up to v other members of your family. Y'all need to upgrade to the family unit plan outset, and then add people through your Family unit Library setup.

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

Calendars

When you ready up Family Library, a new shared Family calendar is created in Google Calendar. Anyone who joins your family group will too get access to this calendar, and they tin add together their own appointments and reminders.

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

Notes

Google Keep also works with your family group. Y'all tin can share notes and lists with everyone else, although you need to do it manually on a notation-by-notation basis.

To do this, open up Keep and select the detail you desire to share. Hit the menu button at the lesser right of the screen and choose Collaborator from the list. On the adjacent screen, you'll see your family group listed. But tap it to add together, and then hit Save. (Yous can also type in e-mail addresses to share notes and lists with other people.)

Your group will at present be listed under the Collaborators. Hit the X button to remove it again.

Photos

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

It's simpler than the other services, finer but adding a Family unit Group option to the Share menu. Still, it'due south a adept mode of hands showing your immediate friends and family shots you desire them to see. Information technology puts the images into their Photos account and they can comment on them easily either via the spider web or the app.

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

Select the images y'all want to share by long pressing on the first one, then tapping to add more photos. Hitting the Share button and select your family group from the list that opens. Add together a message if y'all desire, then striking Send.

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. Hit the card button in the top correct and select Sharing options, and so set the Share toggle to the Off position.

Other Sharing Services

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

Google's version is especially attractive because it's free. Even if y'all don't need to utilise it much, there'due south no reason non to sign upward.

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Andy Betts (216 Articles Published)

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

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