Why is my Apple Music not sharing with my family?

Introducing Family Sharing for Apple Music

Family Sharing allows up to six family members to share access to services like Apple Music and Apple TV+ without having to share accounts. With Family Sharing set up, one person acts as the Family Organizer and invites family members to join the group.

Once Family Sharing is enabled, all family members can access shared purchases and subscriptions like Apple Music using their own Apple ID and password. Any content purchased by family members is billed directly to the Family Organizer’s account.

The main benefits of using Family Sharing for Apple Music are:

Family members can listen to over 90 million songs in the Apple Music catalog without needing their own subscription.
Music preferences and listening history remain separate for each family member.
It’s an easy and affordable way for families to share one Apple Music subscription.

Family members can access shared content while maintaining the privacy of their personal accounts.

Overall, Family Sharing makes it simple for families to take advantage of Apple subscription services together in one plan. Once it’s set up, everyone can access and enjoy Apple Music on their personal devices.

Requirements for Setting Up Family Sharing

To successfully set up and use Apple Music Family Sharing, there are a few key requirements that all family members need to meet:

First, all family members must have their own Apple ID and be signed into the same Family Sharing group. According to Apple’s Family Sharing support page, “Family Sharing requires a personal Apple ID signed in to iCloud” (https://www.apple.com/family-sharing/). So each family member wishing to access shared Apple Music will need an individual Apple ID added to the Family Sharing group.

Second, the Apple Music subscription itself must be under the account that is set as the Family Organizer. As Apple notes, “Only the family organizer can manage family members, plans, and payment methods” (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201088). So Apple Music billing and management must be handled through the main Family Organizer’s account in order to allow sharing.

Ensuring each family member has an Apple ID in the Family Sharing group, and that the paying Apple Music account is set as Family Organizer, are the core requirements to properly set up Apple Music sharing across the family.

Understanding the Family Organizer Role

The Family Organizer plays a crucial role in setting up and managing Family Sharing for Apple Music. The organizer is the person who initially sets up the Family Sharing group and invites family members to join. As the administrator, the Family Organizer has full control over the shared Apple Music subscription and its settings.

Other family members in the group are considered subscribers. They can access and use the shared Apple Music subscription, but don’t have the ability to manage the subscription or change its settings. That power lies solely with the Family Organizer.

The Family Organizer is the only person who can add or remove people from the Family Sharing group. They control the Apple Music subscription for the entire family and can turn sharing on or off at any time. The organizer’s Apple ID is used for purchases and subscriptions for everyone in the family group.

This means if there are any issues with accessing shared content like Apple Music, the Family Organizer needs to look into and resolve it. Problems could occur if the organizer’s payment method fails or their individual Apple Music subscription lapses. As administrator, it’s the organizer’s responsibility to keep the shared subscription active.

https://support.apple.com/guide/personal-safety/manage-family-sharing-settings-ips75b3b794f/web

Checking Your Family Sharing Group Setup

One of the first things to check if Apple Music sharing is not working properly is your Family Sharing group setup. To confirm everything is configured correctly:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap on your name at the top. Then tap on Family Sharing. You’ll see a list of family members in your Family Sharing group.

Make sure that every family member has an active Apple ID added. Each person needs their own Apple ID in order to access shared content like Apple Music or apps downloaded from the App Store. If any family member is missing, tap “Add Family Member” to send them an invitation.

Next, check that the subscription for Apple Music is registered under the account of the Family Organizer. Only the Family Organizer can enable Apple Music for family sharing. Subscriptions can’t be shared from a family member’s account.

To check this, tap your name and confirm your Apple ID matches the Family Organizer listed at the top. If it’s not your account, speak to the Family Organizer about enabling Apple Music sharing.

For more help, see Apple’s support document on finding shared content.

Troubleshooting Issues with Apple Music Sharing

One of the most common issues with Apple Music’s family sharing feature is that music purchased or downloaded by one family member does not automatically share with other members. There are a few potential causes for this:

First, check that the family member who purchased or downloaded the music is using the same Apple ID for both Family Sharing and Media & Purchases in Settings. Music, movies, apps etc. are only shared if they were acquired using the Apple ID set up for purchases in Family Sharing (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254581251).

It’s also possible that purchase sharing has been disabled for that family member’s device. Go to Settings > [Family Member’s Name] > Media & Purchases and make sure ‘Share My Purchases’ is enabled.

If you don’t see certain family members listed under Family Sharing at all, they may have been removed from the group inadvertently. You can invite them again via iCloud Family Sharing settings (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201454).

In some cases, signing in and out of the App Store or rebooting devices can help resolve hiccups with Family Sharing. Check also for any error messages when trying to download shared music, as these may indicate wider problems needing resolution.

As a last resort, make sure software is up to date across family members’ devices and then contact Apple Support for help investigating further. Family sharing music should happen automatically, so technical issues likely need addressing if it is consistently problematic.

Updating Billing Info and Payment Methods

The Family Organizer is in charge of managing all billing details and payment methods for the Family Sharing group. This includes adding, updating, and removing credit cards or other payment types on file.

If Family Sharing members suddenly lose access to Apple services, it could be because the Family Organizer’s payment method on file is expired or invalid. To fix this:

The Family Organizer should open the Settings app on their iPhone or iPad.
Tap on your Apple ID name at the top of the screen.

Select “Payment & Shipping”.
You may need to sign in with your Apple ID.
Tap “Add Payment Method” to update your credit card or payment details.

Changing the payment method can sometimes trigger issues sharing Apple Music across the family group. Check that all members still have access after updating billing information. For additional help, see this Apple discussions thread.

Fixing Problems with Individual Family Member Accounts

Sometimes issues with Apple Music sharing can occur on an individual family member’s account while others in the Family Sharing group are not affected. Here are some troubleshooting steps to try for the family member who is experiencing problems:

First, on the family member’s device, try signing out of Apple Music and then signing back in. Stay signed out for a couple of minutes before signing back in to allow time for a full reset. Do this sign out/sign in procedure on both the Apple Family Organizer’s device and the family member’s device.

Check for any account restrictions enabled under Screen Time or Parental Controls that could be blocking access to Apple Music. Temporarily disable restrictions to see if that fixes the issue.

As a last resort, you may need to have the family member leave the Family Sharing group and then rejoin. Just keep in mind this will impact other shared services like iCloud storage and purchases. After leaving Family Sharing, the family member should sign out of Apple Music and the App Store before rejoining the group and signing in again.

If none of these troubleshooting tips work, you will need to contact Apple Support for additional help diagnosing and resolving problems accessing Apple Music for that family member.

What to Do if You’re No Longer Family Sharing

If you suddenly find that you can no longer access shared Apple Music or other content through Family Sharing, the first thing to check is that all accounts are still actively in the Family Sharing group. You can verify this by going to Settings > [your name] > Family Sharing on your device. Ensure that all family members are still listed and sharing is enabled.

If you see family members missing from the list, you’ll need to re-invite them to the Family Sharing group. The family organizer can do this by tapping “Add Family Member” and entering the email address associated with their Apple ID. Once invited, the family member will need to accept the invitation on their own device to rejoin Family Sharing.

Another possibility is that Family Sharing was disabled or turned off entirely. To reenable it, open Family Sharing in Settings and toggle sharing on for the various services like Apple Music, iCloud storage, App Store purchases, etc. Make sure to enable sharing for each individual family member’s account as well from their own Settings app.

According to an Apple support article, you may also need to double check that the same Apple ID is being used for both Family Sharing and Media & Purchases on each device. Keeping these consistent can prevent issues accessing shared content.

Reinviting everyone and reenabling all sharing options should restore your ability to access Apple Music and other services through Family Sharing.

Contacting Apple Support

If you are still unable to resolve issues with Family Sharing for Apple Music after trying the troubleshooting steps, you can contact Apple Support directly for further assistance. There are a few ways to reach out to Apple Support:

Call Apple Support at 1-800-275-2273. This is a 24/7 phone number.
Chat online with an Apple Support advisor through Get support. Online chat is available 24/7.
Schedule a callback from Apple Support within the Apple Support app on iPhone or iPad.

Before contacting Apple Support, make sure you have the following information ready:

Your Apple ID and password used for Family Sharing
Billing information such as credit card details

Names and Apple IDs of all family members in the Family Sharing group
Detailed description of the issues you are experiencing with Family Sharing for Apple Music

Having these details ready will help Apple Support troubleshoot and resolve your Family Sharing issues more quickly. The advisors can look at your Family Sharing setup, access logs, account details, and more to identify what is going wrong. They can also process refunds or billing changes as needed.

Summary and Final Suggestions

If you’re still experiencing issues with sharing Apple Music after trying the troubleshooting steps outlined in this guide, here are some final tips:

First, double check that you meet the requirements for setting up Family Sharing and that your group is set up properly. Make sure everyone that needs access is added to the group.

Also, log into your Family Sharing account and verify your billing info and payment methods are up to date. This is required for subscription sharing services like Apple Music.

As a last resort, you can try contacting Apple Support directly for help troubleshooting and fixing any lingering issues.

With some patience and by following these tips, you should be able to get Apple Music sharing working properly with your family members.