Share media with Google Play Family Library
Google Play Family Library lets you share items you’ve bought with your family, explains Jim Martin
If you buy a book or CD, you don’t think twice about how to lend it to someone else. But when you’ve bought an app, TV show or an ebook from Google Play, there’s no way to share it: only you can read, listen to or watch it. However, the situation has changed, so here we show you how to set up and use Google Play Family Library. Don’t forget you can also get Google Play on an iOS device.
Setup
Go to tinyurl.com/jnubky3 and sign up. It’s here that you will become the Family manager. Pick or enter a credit- or debit card’s details. You can invite up to five family members. New purchases can be automatically added to Family Library.
Limitations
There are quite a few limitations with Family Library. First, only children over 13 can be invited to join. This may mean you’re forced to lie about their date of birth in their account if they’re under 13, or you have to sign into their device with your Google account – rendering Family Library a bit useless for young children. Also, not all content can be shared. For example, music and newsstand purchases can’t be added to Family Library, nor can TV shows, films or books which you’ve rented (as opposed to bought).
The restrictions continue: you can’t share in-app purchases, and apps or games bought before 2 July 2016 can be added only if the developer has ‘made past purchases available’. Google says you can see if it has by tapping ‘Read More’ on the apps page in the store.
It’s similar for books: you can share them only if the publisher allows it. That’s why it will pay to check for the Family Library icon next to apps, games, TV shows, movies and books you’re thinking of buying to see if they’re eligible. It looks like grey house with a white heart inside it.
Also, if you subscribe to Google Music, you can add Family Library to your Google Play Music family plan – you still need to subscribe to the Music family plan to do this, of course.