Apple confirms family sharing for in-app purchases and subscriptions is now available

Yesterday, Apple quietly extended its App Store family sharing feature, adding a new App Store toggle that allows family members to share subscriptions through the app with each other. Apple today confirmed that the feature is now rolling out and is also applicable to in-app purchases.

In an update for developers, Apple says it is now possible for developers to enable Family Sharing for auto-renewing subscriptions and non-consumable in-app purchases, allowing all members of a family group to enjoy the benefits of these features.

You can now enable Family Sharing for auto-renewable subscriptions and non-consumable in-app purchases, allowing users to share their purchases with up to five family members. Family Sharing provides a simplified and convenient user experience and can help you attract followers, encourage paid subscriptions, increase user engagement, and improve retention. Sales and Trend reports will be updated soon to help you understand the performance of Family memberships.

Non-consumable in-app purchases include in-app purchases that unlock app functionality rather than those that use coins or other currency to purchase in-app or in-game consumable items.

Apple first announced these in-app subscription and purchase sharing options in June, and said the feature will be available in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur.

Developers can choose to implement Family Sharing for in-app purchases or subscriptions or can choose to require each family member to subscribe separately or make separate purchases.

Previously, if a family member purchased an app that included a subscription benefit or an app feature that was unlocked through an in-app purchase, there was no built-in way to share those features with other family members. family.

The Settings section of the “App Store” now has a “Share new subscriptions” feature that is automatically enabled for people who use Family Sharing. To access in-app purchases from an app purchased by another family member, the app must be downloaded from the family member’s purchase history. These features will only be available for apps for which the developers have enabled the Family Sharing feature.