Family Sharing with Apple and Google. Sharing is Caring
Level: Easy
Family Sharing in the context of today’s digital world involves linking up certain aspects of your accounts, devices and online services across your entire family. Fun fact! The phrase “sharing is caring” is trademarked by The Salvation Army who has been pursuing its mission since 1865. There are two main players in this area:
I will break down the main benefits of having Family Sharing set up across both Apple and Google as they both have similar features. Deciding on whether to use Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link is pretty straightforward. If you have mostly Apple devices (Mac’s iPhones) then use Apple’s Family Sharing. If you are running Android and computers and Windows computers then you will need to go with Google Families. You may also end up using both, as in my case as I use Google Chrome browser which has additional benefits when it comes to children and searching the internet.
Apple - Family Sharing
The two most valuable features of Apple’s family sharing are providing your children their own Apple ID and asking permission to purchase apps which I will cover in more detail. Other features include:
Share access to Apple services like Apple Music and App Store purchases. Family members access each service from their own Apple IDs, so they see only their own content, preferences, and recommendations — not the whole family’s
Your entire family can share a single iCloud storage plan
Screen Time can give you a better understanding of how much time your kids spend using apps, visiting websites, and on their devices overall (More on Screen Time in an upcoming post)
Find My makes it easy to keep track of one another, whether you’re coordinating a meet-up spot at the mall or you just want to know when the kids get home from school
When you set up your family, a shared album is created automatically in the Photos app on all family members’ devices
Children’s Apple ID
As you might already know, sharing one Apple ID with your child can be a pain and risky. You might want to be able to purchase those additional levels on your favorite App but you don’t want to give the same privileges to your child. Creating a child account also gives you the benefit of associating it or introduce an email address for your child.
Asking permission to purchase
Ask To Buy is by far the most valuable feature as it gives parents one thing we are in need of, some level of control sometimes leverage ;-) Rather than your child going wild and downloading any App from the Apple marketplace (including social media apps) there is a convenient request/approval process. For more information on Ask To Buy refer to https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201089
For more information in general on Apple and families, you can refer to https://www.apple.com/au/families/.
Google - Family Link
If you happen to be predominately a Google ecosystem, then Family Link is for you. If you are using Chrome as your browser, it has one of the biggest benefits which is to ensure search filtering is enabled on all devices associated with a child’s account. Other features include:
Manage your child's apps on supervised devices: Decide which apps your child can download or purchase, block or allow apps, and change app permissions.
Manage your child's screen time on supervised devices: Set a bedtime or daily screen limits, and see how much time your child spends on certain apps.
With Chrome being by far the most popular browser in the world, Family Link can be sued with your child’s Google account to manage their Google Search and enforce Safe Searching
Important Note: If your child isn't signed in while using Google Search or if they're using Google Go, their SafeSearch settings won’t apply. You can use Family Link to block Google Go.
For more information in general on Google Family Link, you can refer to Get started with Family Link