No arguments here that Apple’s family sharing is a convenient feature for sharing purchases and subscriptions. However, there are a few reasons why you might want to leave a shared account. If you’re moving to a new country and need to change your device’s country settings, you want to join a new family account, or you’re ready to escape parental controls, it’s important to know how to leave family sharing.
What is Family Sharing?
Family Sharing is a group account feature from Apple where up to five family members (plus the family organizer) can share access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud+, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Arcade. You and your group can also share App Store purchases, iTunes, and Apple books. Or capture and keep your favorite memories all in one place with a shared family photo album.
When the organizer invites members to the group, they gain access to the apps, music, TV, shows, and books the family purchases. Not all content is sharable, but shared content is automatically uploaded to the Purchased page. Don’t worry—your files and preferences are kept private, so Mom won’t hear about her surprise birthday party. And with parental control features, kids don’t have access to anything the organizer doesn’t want them to.
Before you leave Family Sharing
Ready to strike out on your own? Before you leave your family sharing account, there a few things to keep in mind. You will lose access to everything shared with your family, including calendars, photos, and videos. Make sure to save anything you’d like to keep to your personal device before leaving. If the organizer adds you back to the account, you’ll regain access to these shared apps and files. But better safe than sorry!
How to leave Family Sharing on iPhone or iPad
On your iPhone or iPad, go to your settings app. At the top of the page, tap on your profile or name. If you have the iOS 10.3 update or later, you can click on Family Sharing. If you don’t have the update, tap on iCloud and then Family. Here, you’ll see a list of the members in your group, along with your Shared Features.
To leave Family Sharing, tap on your name and then “Leave Family” on the bottom of the page. A warning will pop up to let you know that you’ll immediately lose access to everything in your group if you continue. When you’re ready, tap “Leave Family” again to finalize. Now you’ve officially left your family account and can either join another group or start your own.
How to leave Family Sharing from the website
Another way to remove yourself from a shared account is to head to the Apple ID website. Sign in to appleid.apple.com with the username and password of the account you want to remove. Tap the Family Sharing tab towards the middle of the page. Click “Remove Account” and then “Remove” again. This will remove your Apple ID from shared accounts.
How to remove kids from Family Sharing
Children under the age of 13 can’t be removed from a Family Sharing account. However, they can be transferred to another family account. To do this, the organizer from the other group has to invite the child to their family account. If your child doesn’t have another group to join, you can also delete the child’s account. Keep in mind they will lose all access to everything shared in the group if their account is deleted.
Staying connected without Family Sharing
Just because you’ve left your family sharing plan doesn’t mean you want to stop sharing important memories with loved ones. Learn how you can easily share your WiFi password from your phone when friends and family come to visit. You can also share family photos online during the holidays or other important dates. Create a family media use plan to stay connected.
If you’re a college student looking to make the most out of your experience, check out our article on the best apps for college students. Keep an eye out for more articles in our college student series!
