Apple Music has become one of the most popular music streaming services, offering access to over 90 million songs for one monthly subscription fee. One of the best deals is the Apple Music Family Plan, which allows up to six users to share the same plan for a discounted price. This leads many to wonder – can you share an Apple Music family plan with friends who aren’t family?
An Apple Music Family Plan allows up to six users to access the full Apple Music library for only $15/month (in the US). This is a great deal compared to paying $10/month for each individual subscription.
The family plan is intended to be shared among household members and family. However, some wonder if it’s possible to share with friends and split the costs. There are a few factors to consider when sharing an Apple Music family plan beyond your immediate family.
Whether you want to save money by sharing with friends or keep your plan limited to family, this guide will walk through everything you need to know about maximizing an Apple Music Family Subscription.
Overview of Apple Music Family Plan
First, let’s review the basics of what the Apple Music Family Plan includes:
- Access to Apple Music library of over 90 million songs for up to 6 users
- Downloads for offline listening
- Unlimited skips and replays
- Ad-free listening
- Access across all devices – iOS, Android, Mac, PC, etc.
- Personalized playlists and radio stations
- Access to Apple TV+ original shows and movies
- Family-friendly content filters
The family plan costs $15/month in the US compared to $10/month for an Individual plan. Family plans can be shared via Family Sharing with up to 5 additional people for no extra cost.
So who qualifies for a family plan? According to Apple:
“A family member is anyone in your household that you want to share subscriptions with, including friends or roommates.”
This implies you can share beyond just family, but there are limitations as we’ll explore next.
Apple’s Official Family Sharing Policy
Even though Apple’s description refers to “anyone in your household,” there are specific requirements that determine who you can share with officially under their family sharing policy.
Here are the key requirements according to Apple:
- All users must share a common credit or debit card for payments. Apple bills the organizer’s card each month.
- The family organizer must be 18+ years old.
- Up to 6 people can share one family plan.
- All users must live at the same residential address. Apple may request verification.
- Users must have an Apple ID and be signed into the same iCloud account.
- Only members of your own family household should be on the plan.
The most important points are the payment method, address verification, and family household limitations. Apple intends family sharing to be used only for actual family members living together, not friends or roommates living separately.
Requirements for Sharing with Friends
If you want to share an Apple Music family plan beyond your real family, here are some requirements and limitations to be aware of:
- The family organizer will be responsible for managing the plan and payments. Apple will withdraw from their registered credit/debit card each month.
- All members should use the same family organizer’s address for verification purposes. This address should match the organizer’s payment method address.
- The family organizer will need to set up an Apple Family Sharing iCloud account and invite the other members.
- There are risks involved with sharing accounts outside of actual families. Apple could crack down and enforce address verification or conduct audits. We’ll cover more details on risks in a bit.
- Only 6 users maximum can share a family plan, so choose your sharing group wisely!
- For full access, all users will need an Apple device linked to the shared iCloud account.
As long as you follow these requirements, it is possible to successfully share an Apple Music family plan with friends. But extra care and coordination is required compared to sharing with actual family members in your household.
Tips for Sharing with Friends
To make things go smoothly when sharing an Apple Music family plan beyond your real family, keep these tips in mind:
Set Up Family Sharing Carefully
As the family organizer, you will need to send invites to the other members to join the Apple Family Sharing plan. Be sure only those you fully trust are part of your plan since you are responsible for payments.
Use a Common Address
When setting up Family Sharing, use the family organizer’s address for all members. This address should also match the payment method address to avoid issues.
Agree on Payment Logistics
Discuss upfront with your friends how you’ll handle the monthly family plan charges. You can collect their portion each month or set up an annual arrangement. Just be clear on expectations.
Monitor Usage Closely
As the family organizer, you can monitor what content the other users are accessing. This allows you to identify any plan abuse early. Remove any members not contributing fairly.
Don’t Share Beyond Close Friends
It’s best to only share a family plan with a small circle of close friends you know and trust. The more people you add, the higher the chances of address verification issues or other problems arising.
Have Backups Ready
There is always a possibility Apple could crack down on family plan account sharing with friends. Have a backup plan ready in case members suddenly need their own individual plan.
By following these tips, you can maximize the savings of an Apple Music family subscription while minimizing risks. But there are a few more potential downsides to consider as well.
Potential Downsides of Sharing with Friends
While sharing an Apple Music family plan with friends can save money compared to individual plans, there are some drawbacks and risks:
- Apple could audit accounts and require address verification at any time. This could lead to termination of shared family plans not meeting official requirements.
- The family organizer is fully responsible for all content accessed by the group. Monitoring for abuse can be challenging.
- Coordinating payment and address details with non-family members can be tricky compared to actual families in one household.
- If the family organizer changes payment details or doesn’t pay on time, all members lose access.
- Sudden membership changes like users moving or switching to individual plans can disrupt the group.
- Limits downloading and offline listening to 3-10 devices depending on subscription.
- Privacy concerns around monitoring listening activity of other users.
For larger groups or casual acquaintances, it may not be worth the hassle. But for close friends or family members you trust, the savings will likely outweigh the small risks.
Alternatives for Sharing Music
If the limitations of Apple Music family sharing don’t work for your situation, there are a few alternative options:
- Spotify Family Plan – Spotify also offers a family plan for up to 6 users for $15/month. Their family policy is more flexible regarding address requirements.
- YouTube Music family plan – YouTube Music has a family plan up to 6 members for $15/month. This grants access to both music streaming and ad-free YouTube access.
- Amazon Music Unlimited family plan – Amazon Music Unlimited family plan grants 6 accounts for $15/month. Great if you have an Amazon Prime membership already.
- Pandora Plus family plan – Pandora Plus allows sharing among 6 users for $10/month. However, the individual plan is only $5/month so less savings potential.
- Share account login – For two close friends or family, you can share the login for an individual plan account if you don’t mind not accessing at the same time.
- Rotate paying – Take turns paying for an individual plan each month and share the login with a friend or partner.
- Bluetooth sharing – Manually share songs via Bluetooth between devices as needed. More hands-on but avoids paid plans.
If sharing an official family plan doesn’t work for your situation, one of these alternatives may be a better fit. The key is finding an option that lets you access the music you love at a price you can afford!
Can an Apple Music Family Plan Be Shared Among Friends? Wrap Up
Sharing an Apple Music family plan beyond your real family comes with some limitations but can be done. Be sure to follow address and payment requirements closely and set clear expectations with your group. While Apple’s policy intends for family sharing only among households, they mostly rely on an honor system for enforcement currently.
Potential risks like account audits and address verification may happen but are fairly low if your sharing group is small and in agreement. Overall the savings of a family plan among close friends can be worthwhile but be cautious about adding too many loosely-connected members.
Have a backup plan in case Apple does crack down on family account sharing violations in the future. For most situations though, sharing an Apple Music family subscription with a couple trusted friends is a smart money-saving strategy!
I hope this guide covered all the key considerations around successfully sharing an Apple Music family plan beyond just relatives living together. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Frequently Asked Questions About Sharing an Apple Music Family Plan
Here are some common questions people ask about sharing an Apple Music family plan with friends:
Can I create an Apple Music family plan as an individual?
Yes, you do not need to be in a family already to create a family plan as the organizer. But you will need to invite the other members and manage the plan.
What is the maximum number of users for an Apple Music family plan?
Apple Music family plans can support up to 6 simultaneous users. You cannot add more than 6 members.
Can family plan members listen at the same time?
Yes, one of the benefits of the family plan is that up to 6 users can stream Apple Music simultaneously with no restrictions.
Can each family member have a different music library?
Yes, each member can follow artists and create their own playlists and libraries within the same family plan account. The preferences are kept separate.
What happens if the family organizer account is closed?
If the account organizer leaves Apple Music or defaults on payments, all members of the family plan lose access. The group would need to start a new family plan under a different organizer.
Can you use two different Apple IDs with an Apple Music family plan?
All family plan members need to use the same Apple ID that is set up under the organizer’s iCloud Family Sharing plan. Multiple Apple IDs are not supported.
How do I add someone to the Apple Music family plan?
The organizer needs to set up Family Sharing via iCloud and then can send an invite to additional members to join the plan via their Apple ID.
I hope these Apple Music family sharing FAQs help explain how you can maximize and properly share a family plan subscription! Let me know if you have any other related questions.