Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, El Capitan Edition

Family Sharing

It might have taken years, but Apple has finally acknowledged a fundamental fact of American life: Many of us have families.

If you have kids, it’s always been a hassle to manage your Apple life. What if they want to buy a book, movie, or app? They have to use your credit card—and you have to reveal your iCloud password to them.

Or what if they want to see a movie that you bought? Do they really have to buy it again?

Not anymore. Once you’ve turned on Family Sharing and invited your family members, here’s how your life will be different:

• One credit card to rule them all. Up to six of you can buy books, movies, apps, and music on your master credit card.

• Ask before buying. When your kids try to buy stuff, your phone pops up a permission request. You have to approve each purchase.

• Younger Appleheads. Within Family Sharing, you can now create Apple accounts for tiny tots; 13 is no longer the age minimum.

• Shared everything. All of you get instant access to one another’s music, video, iBooks, and app purchases—again, without having to know one another’s Apple passwords.

• Find one another. You can use your phone to see where your kids are, and vice versa (with permission, of course).

• Find one another’s phones. The miraculous Find My iPhone feature (Find My Mac, Find My iPhone) now works for every phone in the family. If your daughter can’t find her phone, you can find it for her with your phone.

• Mutual photo album, mutual calendar, and mutual reminders. When you turn on Family Sharing, ...