Add family members through Family Sharing on your Apple device

To add family members to Apple TV, you set up Family Sharing on an Apple device — iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV itself. Family Sharing is Apple's system that lets up to six people share purchases, subscriptions, and content on the same account while keeping separate profiles. Once you set it up, each family member gets their own Apple TV profile with personalized recommendations and watch history.

The person who creates Family Sharing becomes the organizer — that's usually the account holder who pays for the subscription. You'll need the Apple ID and password for each person you want to add. Family members don't need their own Apple TV subscription; they use the organizer's subscription and watch on their own devices or on a shared Apple TV box.

Key Takeaways

  • Family Sharing requires an Apple ID for each family member, and the organizer controls the group from their device settings.
  • Once added, family members can watch Apple TV on their own devices using the shared subscription without needing separate accounts.
  • You can set up parental controls for each family member's profile to restrict content by age rating.
  • Family members can be removed at any time, and you can have up to six people in one Family Sharing group.

Set up Family Sharing on iPhone or iPad

Open Settings and tap your name at the top. Select Family Sharing, then tap get your free guide if you haven't set it up yet. If Family Sharing already exists, you'll see the option to Add Family Member instead. Tap that button and choose whether to invite someone nearby (using their device) or send an invitation via email or iMessage.

If you're inviting someone nearby, have them hold their device close to yours. Their device will show a prompt to join your Family Sharing group — they tap Accept and enter their Apple ID password. If you're sending an invitation, enter their email address or phone number, and they'll receive a message with a link to join. They can accept the invitation from any Apple device.

After they accept, they appear in your Family Sharing list. You can now see their name under Family Sharing in Settings. Each person can sign into Apple TV on their own device, and the shared subscription will work for all of them.

Set up Family Sharing on Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions). Click General in the sidebar, then look for Family or Family Sharing. Click Set Up Family Sharing or Add Family Member depending on whether Family Sharing already exists on your Mac.

Follow the same steps as iPhone: choose to invite someone nearby or send an email invitation. Once they accept, they'll appear in your Family Sharing group. On a Mac, family members can open the App Store or Apple TV app, sign in with their own Apple ID, and the shared subscription will work automatically.

Add family members directly on Apple TV hardware

If you have an Apple TV box (4th generation or newer), you can add family members without using another device. Go to Settings on your Apple TV, select Users and Accounts, then Family Sharing. Choose Add Family Member and select whether to invite someone nearby or send an invitation.

For nearby invitations, have the person hold their iPhone or iPad close to your Apple TV. A prompt will appear on their device asking them to join — they tap Accept and confirm with their Apple ID password. For email invitations, enter their email address, and they'll receive a message they can accept from any device. Once they join, they can create their own profile on the Apple TV box and watch using the shared subscription.

Set up parental controls for family members

After adding a family member, you can restrict what content they see on Apple TV based on age rating. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > your name > Family Sharing > select the family member's name > Content Restrictions. Choose the highest rating you want them to see — options include TV-Y, TV-Y7, TV-14, TV-MA, and others.

On Apple TV hardware, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Family Sharing > select the family member > Parental Controls. You can set restrictions by content rating and require a PIN to watch restricted shows. These controls only affect what appears in that person's profile — they won't change what's available to other family members.

Remove a family member from Apple TV

To remove someone from Family Sharing, open Settings on the device where you set up Family Sharing (iPhone, iPad, or Mac). Go to Family Sharing, select the person's name, and choose Remove from Family Sharing. Confirm the removal. That person will no longer have access to the shared Apple TV subscription on any device.

If you remove someone, they can still use Apple TV on their own device if they have their own subscription, but they won't be able to use yours. Any watch history or recommendations tied to their profile will remain on their device, but they won't sync with your Family Sharing group anymore.

Troubleshoot common Family Sharing problems

If a family member can't see Apple TV after being added, have them sign out and sign back in on their device. Go to Settings > [their name] > Sign Out, then sign back in with their Apple ID. Sometimes the subscription takes a few minutes to sync after someone joins Family Sharing.

If the invite was sent but never received, check that you entered the correct email address or phone number. Ask the family member to check their email spam folder or Messages app. If they still don't see it, you can resend the invitation from the Family Sharing settings. If someone is having trouble accepting an invitation, make sure they're using an Apple device and have an active Apple ID — they can create a free Apple ID if they don't have one yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do family members need their own Apple TV subscription?

No. Once you add them to Family Sharing, they share your Apple TV subscription. They only need their own Apple ID to create a profile and watch on their device. You pay for one subscription, and up to six people can use it.

Can family members watch at the same time?

Yes, but the number of simultaneous streams depends on your Apple TV subscription plan. Most plans allow a certain number of people to watch at once — check your subscription details in the Apple TV app under Account > Subscriptions to see your stream limit.

What happens to their watch history if I remove them?

Their watch history stays on their device, but it won't sync with your Family Sharing group anymore. They can still see what they've watched on their own profile if they have their own subscription, but recommendations won't be shared with your family group.

Can I change who the Family Sharing organizer is?

Yes, but you need to set up a new Family Sharing group with a different organizer. The current organizer goes to Family Sharing settings and removes all members, then the new organizer creates their own Family Sharing group and adds everyone again. This process takes a few minutes.

Do I need to be on the same Wi-Fi network to add someone?

No. You can invite family members nearby using their device, which uses Bluetooth, or you can send email invitations to anyone regardless of location. They can accept the invitation from anywhere and join your Family Sharing group.