What happens if you leave Family Sharing?

Answered by Tom Adger

If you decide to leave the Family Sharing group, there are a few things that will happen. First and foremost, any purchases that you have made using the shared credit card will still be yours to keep. This means that any apps, music, movies, or books that you have bought with the family’s shared payment method will remain in your personal library. So, you don’t have to worry about losing access to any content that you have paid for.

However, it’s important to note that leaving the Family Sharing group means you will immediately lose access to other things that the family members share. This includes the ability to see and download any items that other family members have purchased. Previously, you might have been able to view and download their purchases from the Purchased section of the iTunes Store, the App Store, and Apple Books. But once you leave the group, those items will no longer appear in your Purchased section.

This loss of access to family members’ purchases can be a bit inconvenient, especially if there were apps, movies, or books that you were enjoying or planning to use. You won’t be able to download or access them anymore unless you purchase them individually using your own payment method.

In addition to losing access to shared purchases, leaving Family Sharing also means you won’t be able to use other shared features. For example, you won’t be able to use the shared iCloud storage space that the family members had been sharing. This means that if you were relying on the family’s shared storage for your photos, documents, or device backups, you’ll need to find an alternative solution.

Furthermore, leaving the group will also remove your access to any shared subscriptions that the family members were using. If, for example, the family had a shared Apple Music subscription, you won’t be able to enjoy the benefits of that subscription anymore. You’ll need to sign up for your own individual subscription if you want to continue using the service.

Leaving Family Sharing means you retain ownership of purchases made with the shared credit card, but you lose access to other family members’ shared purchases, shared iCloud storage, and shared subscriptions. It’s important to consider these factors before deciding to leave the group, as it may impact your access to certain content and services.