Family Sharing for in-app purchases is an App Store Connect setting that lets up to five family members use one person's subscription or non-consumable purchase. It works only for auto-renewable subscriptions and non-consumables, and once turned on it can't be turned off (Apple's help as of October 16, 2026).
What Family Sharing is
Family Sharing is Apple's family group. According to Apple Support, it holds an organizer and up to five family members, each with their own Apple Account. When a developer turns on Family Sharing for a purchase, one person pays and everyone in the group gets to use it on all their devices.
Apple introduced the feature for in-app purchases in 2020 at WWDC20 (Apple video). Since iOS 15, every StoreKit 2 transaction carries a field that tells you whether the person bought it or received it through their family.
Which purchases a family can share
| Purchase or rule | Apple's rule |
|---|---|
| Auto-Renewable Subscription | yes |
| Non-Consumable | yes |
| Consumable | no |
| Non-Renewing Subscription | no |
| People per purchase | up to 6, the buyer plus 5 |
| Can it be turned off | no, it stays on for good |
| Who turns it on | Account Holder or App Manager |
| Subscription with multiple seats | only the purchaser's seat is shared with family |
Per App Store Connect Help and StoreKit documentation, checked October 16, 2026.
Where it lives in App Store Connect
Go to App Store Connect › Apps › your app › Monetization › In-App Purchases for one-time purchases, or Subscriptions › group for subscriptions. Open the purchase, scroll to the Family Sharing section, press Turn On and accept the terms with Confirm. The change can take up to an hour to reach the sandbox.
Subscriptions come with a caveat. Family Sharing works only for subscriptions bought on the App Store, and when multiseat purchases are on, only the purchaser's own seat is shared with family.
How it shows up in code
A family member gets their own transaction, and you can handle it like any other purchase (StoreKit documentation). A few fields tell the cases apart.
- Product.isFamilyShareable. Says whether Family Sharing is on for the product. Apple suggests mentioning it on the purchase screen so people can pick the right option.
- Transaction.ownershipType. purchased for the buyer and familyShared for a family member. Both fields have been available since iOS 15.
- Transaction.revocationDate. The date the App Store refunded the transaction or withdrew it from Family Sharing.
- The REVOKE notification. The App Store server sends it when a family member loses access to a subscription.
How to turn it on, step by step
- Decide for each purchase whether to share it with families. There is no going back, so price it knowing that six people may use it.
- Turn on Family Sharing for the purchase in App Store Connect.
- Use isFamilyShareable to say on the purchase screen that the purchase can be shared with family.
- Treat transactions with ownershipType familyShared like the buyer's own, and don't ask family members to sign in to the buyer's account.
- Remove access based on revocationDate and the REVOKE notification.
- Keep a restore purchases button in the app. If a non-consumable was bought before sharing was turned on, family members get it only by restoring.
Appto fills in purchases and prices in App Store Connect and asks for your yes before every write (App Store Connect in Appto).
Common mistakes
- Turning it on to see what happens. Family Sharing can't be switched off for that purchase, and the only way back is a new purchase with a different Product ID.
- Expecting it on consumables. Coins and other consumables, as well as non-renewing subscriptions, are never shared with family.
- Checking access only against your own account records. If the app unlocks paid content from a record of the buyer on your server, a family member with a valid transaction gets locked out.
- Keeping access after revocation. Apple expects family access to end at once when the buyer leaves the group, gets a refund or stops sharing.
Questions
How many people can use one purchase through Family Sharing?
Up to six, the buyer plus five family members. Each uses it from their own Apple Account on their own devices.
Can I turn off Family Sharing for an in-app purchase?
No. App Store Connect Help, as of October 16, 2026, says it can't be turned off once on. The buyer can still stop sharing a subscription in their own settings.
Does Family Sharing work for consumable purchases?
No, only for auto-renewable subscriptions and non-consumable purchases.
How do I tell in code that a purchase came through the family?
In StoreKit 2 the transaction's ownershipType is familyShared, while the buyer's own is purchased. The field has been available since iOS 15.
Why can't a family member see a shared purchase?
Purchase sharing has to be on for the organizer, and Share Purchases has to be on for both the buyer and the family member. People who bought before sharing was enabled must turn it on from their subscriptions page, and a non-consumable reaches family members through restore.
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