If you are paying for an iCloud+ subscription (which provides 50GB, 200GB, or 2TB of storage), you don’t have to keep all that space to yourself. Apple allows you to share a single iCloud+ storage plan with up to five other family members, saving everyone money and eliminating the need for multiple separate subscriptions.
Many users worry that sharing a storage plan means sharing their personal data. Fortunately, this is not true. When you share an iCloud+ plan, family members only share the available space. Your photos, documents, and backups remain completely private and inaccessible to others in the family group.
How to Set Up Family Sharing and Share iCloud Storage
To share your storage, you first need to be the organizer of a Family Sharing group. You can set this up directly from your iPhone or iPad.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on your name (your Apple ID profile) at the very top of the screen.
- Tap on Family Sharing.
- If you haven’t set up Family Sharing yet, follow the on-screen prompts to invite your family members using their Apple ID email addresses or via a Messages link.
- Once your family members are added to the group, look under the “More To Share” or “Shared with Your Family” section and tap on iCloud+.
- Follow the prompts to officially share your storage plan with the group.
How Family Members Can Accept the Shared Storage
Once you enable the feature, your family members will receive an invitation on their devices to join the shared plan.
If a family member is currently paying for their own individual 50GB or 200GB plan, they will be given the option to cancel their personal plan and merge their data into your shared family plan. If they choose to do this, they will receive a prorated refund for the remainder of their personal subscription.
If they do not see the prompt, they can manually switch to the family plan by going to Settings > [Their Name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage > Change Storage Plan, and selecting the Use Family Storage option.