If you're an Apple user and you enjoy streaming films and TV, chances are you’re making use of the Apple TV app.

Pre-installed on every Apple device, the Apple TV app gives you instant access to thousands of movies to rent, buy, or stream. If you have an Apple TV+ subscription, it also allows you to stream Apple TV+ Originals.

You can share all your purchased movies on Apple TV with up to five members of your family. Here, we'll show you how to enable this sharing option in the Apple TV app.

1. Set Up a Family Sharing Group

The first thing you need to do is to set up an Apple Family Sharing group:

  1. Ensure that all family members are signed in with their own Apple IDs on their respective Apple devices.
  2. If you have a child who is under 13, set up a child's account.
  3. One adult, the family organizer, should create a Family Sharing group. It is important to note that the family organizer needs to agree to pay for the purchases initiated by other family members.
  4. Invite family members to the Family Sharing group.

2. Set Up a Payment Method

Purchase sharing will not be possible if the family organizer doesn't have a valid payment method associated with your Apple device. You can add a payment method as follows, if you don't already have one added.

On your iPhone/iPad:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap on your Apple account.
  3. Check what is indicated on the right side of Payment & Shipping. It will either indicate None or a valid payment method you chose such as Apply Pay, Visa, Discover, etc.

If there is no valid payment method associated with your Apple ID yet, set it up by doing the following:

  1. Go to Settings and tap on your Apple account.
  2. Tap Payment & Shipping > Add Payment Method

or,

  1. Go to Settings and tap on your Apple account
  2. Tap Media & PurchasesView Account
  3. Choose Manage Payments > Add Payment Method

Then, select your preferred method and fill up the rest of the details.

On your Mac:

  1. Open the Mac App Store and click on your Apple account at the bottom left side of the window.
  2. Tap View Information on the upper right side.
  3. Click on Manage Payments > Add Payment
  4. Select your preferred method and fill up the rest of the details.

3. Enable Purchase Sharing

To be able to share purchased videos and apps, make sure that you turn on Purchase Sharing. Allow Purchase Sharing by doing the following:

On your iPhone/iPad:

  1. Go to Family Sharing > Purchase Sharing
  2. Tap Continue.
  3. Agree with sharing payment by tapping Continue.

You can let your family know by sending them a message or skip this part by tapping Not Now at the upper-right corner.

On your Mac:

  1. Go to System PreferencesFamily Sharing > Purchase Sharing.
  2. Tick the box beside Share My Purchase.
  3. You might be prompted to sign in with your Apple ID and password.
  4. A number or email associated with your Apple ID account will receive a verification code to verify your identity. Input the code on the box to verify.
Macbook Purchase Sharing Account Information

4. Access Purchased Movies

On the family member’s iPhone or iPad:

  1. Go to the Apple TV app > Library > Family Sharing
  2. Tap the account of the family member whose movie purchase you want to access.
  3. Tap the movie you want to watch.

On the family member’s Mac:

  1. Open the Apple TV app.
  2. Hover over the menu bar and select Account > Purchased.
  3. A list of the Apple account users in your group will appear.
  4. Find the name of the account of the family member whose movie purchase you want to access, and tap the movie you want to watch.
Mac-AppleTV-Purchased Movie-Screenshot

Other Perks

Aside from movies purchased through the Apple TV app, you can also share other Apple services like Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade subscriptions with your family members.

Related: How to Get Apple TV+ for Free

If you are subscribed to a number of these services, you might want to save up by purchasing Apple One, Apple’s all-in-one subscription, instead.

Schedule Your Next Movie Night

Make each movie purchase count through Family Sharing---an Apple feature that allows family members to access each other’s purchases, from App Store purchases to Apple Books to paid subscriptions like Apple Music and Apple TV+.