Use Google Play Family Library

You can share purchased apps, games, movies, TV shows, and eBooks and audiobooks from Google Play with up to 5 family members using Google Play Family Library.

Sign up for Family Library

Important:  If you aren't part of a family group, you must create one first.

1. Open the Google Play app .
2. At the top right, tap the profile icon.
3. Tap Settings Family Sign up for Family Library.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to set up Family Library. 

Note: Everyone in your family needs to follow the instructions above to set up Family Library.

Requirements

Family manager requirements

If you are not part of a family already, you'll become the family manager when you sign up for Family Library. Family managers must meet all of these requirements:

• Be 18 or over (or the appropriate age in your country)
• Have a valid credit card or debit card to use as the family payment method
• Not be part of another family group on Google

Note: You can't create a family with a Google Account from work, school or another organisation.

Family member requirements

To join a family group, you must meet these requirements:

• Have a Google Account. If you're under the age of 13 or the applicable age in your country, your family manager needs to create a Google Account for you.
• Live in the same country as the family manager.
• Not be part of another family group on Google.

Countries

Family Library is available in most countries where you can use Google Play.

Add or remove Family Library purchases

Eligible purchases can be automatically added to the Family Library, or you can add them yourself after you buy them. Apps & games, Movies & TV shows and Book sharing with Family Library may be limited in some countries.

When you remove purchases from Family Library or leave your family group, your family members will lose access to the purchases that you've added to Family Library.

Important:

• Movies or TV shows: To avoid potential issues when you add content to Family Library, use the family payment method instead of your personal credit or debit card to purchase.
• Books, apps or games: Eligible for Family Library with any form of payment, as long as:
  • There's a family credit card on file.
  • The family credit card is still valid.
  • Family sharing is turned on.

Add or remove individual purchases

Apps & Games

1. Open the Google Play app .
2. At the top right, tap the profile icon.
3. Tap Manage apps and devices Installed.
4. Tap a purchased app or game that you want to add.
5. On the content's details page, turn on Family Library.

To remove the content, turn off Family Library.

Movies and TV shows

1. Open the Play Movies & TV app .
2. At the bottom, tap Library.
3. Under the 'Movies' or 'TV shows' tab, look for any purchased content that you want to add.
4. On the content's details page, turn on Family Library.

To remove the content, turn off Family Library.

Note: When you add TV shows from the Play Movies & TV app, you're adding all episodes of the show. If you want to add or remove certain seasons or episodes that were purchased separately, search for the content in the Play Store app and add it to Family Library from the episode or show's details page.

Books

1. Open the Play Books app .
2. At the bottom, tap Library.
3. Look for any eBooks or audiobooks that you want to add.
4. Press and hold the book title.
5. Scroll down to Add to Family Library.

To remove the content, press and hold the book title. Then scroll to Remove from Family Library.

Change your Family Library settings

By default, eligible purchases will be added automatically to your Family Library when you create or join a family group.

To change the Family Library settings, or remove all purchases of a certain type:

1. Open the Google Play app .
2. At the top right, tap the profile icon.
3. Tap Settings Family Family Library settings.
4. Select Apps & Games, Movies and TV or Books.
5. Tap Don't add automatically, I'll do it myself or Add items automatically when purchased Yes, I'm in.

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Restrict content for certain family members

Everyone in your family group can see all the content that's been added to Family Library.

You can set up parental controls to restrict the content that family members can see.

See Family Library content

Apps & Games

1. Open the Google Play app .
2. At the top right, tap the profile icon.
3. Tap Settings Family Family Library settings.
4. Select Apps & Games, Movies and TV or Books.
   • Tip: If a tab isn't listed, your family members haven't added any content in that category.

Movies and TV shows

1. Open the Google Play Movies & TV app .
2. At the bottom, tap Library.
3. Tap the Movies or TV shows tab.
4. Scroll down to the 'Family Library' list. If you don’t see a 'Family Library' list, your family members haven’t added anything to your Family Library yet.

Note: Movies can be played offline on up to 5 devices per family member and 12 devices per family. 6 movies can be played at once, but each movie can only be streamed by one person at a time.

Books

1. Open the Google Play Books app .
2. At the bottom, tap Library.
3. Tap the Family tab. If you don’t see a 'Family' tab, it means that your family members haven’t added any books to your Family Library yet.

Note: Each book can be downloaded on up to 6 devices at the same time. When someone removes a book from their device, it becomes available for other family members to download.

See if content is eligible to be added to Family Library

Most purchased apps, games, films, TV shows and books can be added to your Family Library. If an item is eligible to be added, you'll see the Family Library icon on the content's details page .

Movies and TV shows

 

Any films or TV shows that you purchased before your Family Library was created can be added to Family Library.

After you've signed up for Family Library or joined someone's family group, new film and TV show purchases can only be added if you purchase them with the family payment method, a Google Play gift card or a promo code.

Movies

• Movie sharing with Family Library may be limited in some countries.
• If you purchase a bundle of movies, you can only add or remove an entire bundle from your Family Library, but not individual movies.
• You can't add Play film rentals or films purchased on YouTube to Family Library.

TV shows

• TV shows sharing with Family Library may be limited in some countries.
• You can't add TV show rentals to Family Library.
• You can’t add TV shows purchased on YouTube.
• TV shows aren't available in all countries.

Apps & Games

• Apps & Games sharing with Family Library may be limited in some countries.
• You can't share in-app purchases and apps downloaded at no charge with your family members.
• Any apps or games purchased after 2 July 2016 are eligible to be added to Family Library. If you purchased the app or game before 2 July 2016, it’s eligible for Family Library if the developer has made past purchases available.

To find out if it's eligible to be added to Family Library:

1. Tap About this game/app.
2. At the bottom, under 'More info', it will say 'Eligible for Family Library' if it's eligible.

Books

• If the book publisher allows for eBooks or audiobooks to be added to Family Library, you can share them with your family members.
• You can't add samples provided at no charge, public domain books, personal documents that you uploaded or books that you rented to Family Library.
• Books can only be added to Family Library in certain countries.

Newsstand

Newsstand purchases can't be added to Family Library.

Troubleshoot problems

I received an error when creating my family

Learn how to troubleshoot errors when creating your family group.

Content was removed from Family Library

If someone removes content from the Family Library, if they leave the family group entirely or if your family group is deleted, you'll have to purchase the content in order to use it.

Once you purchase it, you'll pick up where you left off. If you bought in-app purchases in a game, you'll get those back after you purchase the game.

I purchased content, but I can't add it to Family Library

If you can't add content that you've bought to Family Library, it might be because:

• The content isn't eligible to be added to Family Library.
• You used your personal credit or debit card instead of the family payment method to purchase the film or TV show.

'Your family payment method is invalid'

If you see this message, your family payment method is invalid. If you're the family manager, update your family payment method to a valid credit card so that you and your family members can add purchases to Family Library.

While the family payment method is invalid, purchases made using other forms of payment won't be automatically added to Family Library. After your family payment method has been updated, you’ll need to add these items manually to the Family Library from the details page.