Add family members through the Family group feature

YouTube TV lets you add up to five other people to your account through its Family group feature. Each family member gets their own profile, their own recommendations, and their own DVR storage. You manage who has access and what they can watch directly from your account settings.

To add someone, you need to be the account owner or have manager permissions. The person you're adding needs a Google Account — they don't need to live with you, though YouTube TV's terms ask that you only invite people you have permission to share with. Once they accept the invitation, they can sign in on any device and start watching when ready.

Key Takeaways

  • Family group members each get their own profile, DVR space, and personalized recommendations on the same YouTube TV subscription.
  • You send an invitation through your account settings, and the person accepts it using their Google Account — no separate payment needed.
  • Family members can watch on different devices at the same time, up to the number of simultaneous streams your plan allows.
  • The account owner can remove family members or change their permissions anytime from the Family group settings.
  • If someone doesn't have a Google Account yet, they can create one free before you send them an invitation.

Step-by-step: inviting a family member

Start by signing into YouTube TV on a computer or phone. Go to your account settings — on the web, click your profile picture in the top right corner and select Settings. On the YouTube TV app, tap your profile picture and then tap Settings.

Look for the Family group option in the left menu (on web) or scroll down to find it (on the app). Click or tap Manage family group. You'll see a list of current members and an option to add someone new. Click or tap the button to add a family member — the exact label varies by device, but it's usually Add member or a plus icon.

Enter the email address of the person you want to add. This must be the email address connected to their Google Account. Double-check the spelling — if you enter it wrong, they won't receive the invitation. Click Send invite. YouTube TV will send them an email asking them to join your family group.

The person you invited will see an email from YouTube TV with a link to accept. They click the link, sign into their Google Account if they're not already signed in, and confirm they want to join. Once they accept, they appear in your family group list and can start watching when ready.

What happens after someone joins

When a family member accepts the invitation, they can sign into YouTube TV using their own Google Account on any device — phone, tablet, computer, or TV. They'll see their own profile with their own watch history, recommendations, and saved shows. Their DVR recordings are separate from yours, so they can record shows without affecting your storage.

All family members share the same YouTube TV subscription and billing. No one pays extra, and you don't need separate accounts or passwords for each person. However, the number of people who can watch at the same time depends on your plan — most YouTube TV plans allow three simultaneous streams, though this varies by region and plan type.

If two family members try to watch at the same time and you've reached your stream limit, one of them will see a message saying the limit has been reached. They can either wait for someone else to stop watching or use a different device if available.

Managing family member permissions and access

The account owner has full control over the family group. You can set parental controls to restrict what younger family members can watch. Go back to Family group settings, select the member's name, and choose which content ratings they're allowed to see. You can block channels, shows, or movies based on their rating.

You can also remove someone from the family group anytime. In the Family group settings, find their name and select the option to remove them — usually a trash icon or a Remove button. Once removed, they lose access to YouTube TV when ready, even if they're currently watching.

If you want to give another family member the ability to manage the group — for example, to add or remove people — you can change their role from member to manager. This is useful if you share account management with a partner or older family member. Only the account owner can change who has manager permissions.

Troubleshooting: invitation not received

If someone says they didn't receive an invitation email, first ask them to check their spam or promotions folder — YouTube TV emails sometimes land there. If it's not there, go back to your Family group settings and try sending the invite again. Make sure you're using the correct email address for their Google Account.

If the person doesn't have a Google Account yet, they need to create one before you can send an invitation. They can go to accounts.google.com and click Create account. It takes a few minutes and is free. Once they have an account, you can send them the YouTube TV family invitation.

If someone accepted the invitation but can't sign in, have them try signing out completely and signing back in with their Google Account email and password. If they're still having trouble, they can try on a different device to see if the problem is device-specific.

Switching between family member profiles

When multiple family members are on the same device, each person can switch to their own profile without signing out. On the YouTube TV app or website, tap or click the profile picture in the top right corner. You'll see a list of all family members on that account. Select the person whose profile you want to use, and the screen switches to their recommendations, watch history, and DVR.

This is especially useful on shared devices like a living room TV or a tablet. Each person can pick their profile and see only their own content and recommendations. When you're done, the next person can switch to their profile the same way — no password needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add someone who doesn't live with me to my family group?

YouTube TV's terms say family members should be people you have permission to share with, which typically means household members. However, the system doesn't verify location. The account owner is responsible for following YouTube TV's terms of service.

What if I reach the five-member limit?

You can have up to six people total on one family group — the account owner plus five additional members. If you need to add someone new, you must remove an existing member first. Go to Family group settings, select the person to remove, and confirm the removal.

Do family members need their own YouTube TV subscription?

No. All family members share one YouTube TV subscription. Everyone watches under the same billing account, and no one pays extra. Each person just needs their own Google Account to join the family group.

Can I see what other family members are watching?

You can see who is currently watching and on which device from the Family group settings, but you cannot see their full watch history. Each member's watch history and recommendations are private to their profile.

What happens to recordings if I remove someone from the family group?

Their DVR recordings are deleted when you remove them from the family group. If they had shows saved, those recordings will no longer be available. read or save anything important before removing someone.