R
Richard Devine
Family Sharing was just one of the many new features announced for iOS 8 at WWDC 2014 and better yet it'll be super simple for app developers to support it. Family Sharing allows up to 6 people to share iBooks, iTunes purchases and apps from the App Store and as an email to Apple developers describes, opting in and supporting it is a doddle:
To make your apps available as part of Family Sharing, agree to the updated iOS Paid Applications and/or Mac Paid Applications agreement in Contracts, Tax, and Banking on iTunes Connect. To ensure that Family Sharing is also enabled for previously purchased apps, leave the appropriate checkbox selected on the agreements page.
Further more adding Family Sharing for folks who've already purchased your apps takes nothing more than ensuring the relevant check box is selected. Apple also clarifies that in-app purchases are not transferrable through Family Sharing, just the apps themselves.
For those out there with kids and spouses Family Sharing is going to add a potential revenue saving and added controls over what can be bought. But at the same time it's not Apple's place to simply go giving away apps which it didn't create without the developers say-so. So this is probably the best in-between point and it's easy for devs to activate.
If you're a developer with some thoughts on Family Sharing, be sure to drop us a line in the comments below. If you're a consumer, do you think Family Sharing is going to make a real difference to how you and your loved ones use your iOS devices?
Continue reading...
