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Google Play Rolls Out Family Sharing (usatoday.com)

Posted by msmash on from the sharing-is-caring dept.

Google on Wednesday announced a new Google Play feature dubbed Family Library that allows up to 6 people to share apps, movies, books purchases. It will roll out to people in the next 48 hours in 12 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the U.K., and the United States) and requires people to sign up and add family members (you can add your friends as family member). The announcement is mostly in line with a CNET report from earlier this month. USA Today reports: The feature will allow users to share apps, games, movies, TV shows or books from Google Play on Android devices. Movies, TV shows and books can be shared on iOS platforms and the Web. After a user signs up for the Family Library, the person adds up to five family members and decides on the credit card that will be used for the families purchases. Eunice Kim, head of families for Google Play said a unique feature of Google Play compared to other family sharing initiatives is that family members can also choose to pay with their personal credit card or with gift cards. The same user who organized the family can control who below the age of 18 needs permission to purchase content.The feature is strikingly similar to an option in Apple's App Store that does the same thing.

41 comments

  1. Dupe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Now you can make Google's analytics even more money by volunteering information that children are legally forbidden from providing themselves!

  2. And I was just getting worried by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That we haven't discussed Google today. I wake up every day wondering about Google

  3. You are the product by bagofbeans · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This way the customers very reliably identify their most strong social and familial connections.

    No thanks.

    1. Re:You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I've been wanting to split my 8 year old off on his own google account so I can put stricter controls on the google account associated with the tablet he uses, but I've been unable to do so without having to repurchase hundreds of dollars worth of movies and apps. Maybe not a good tradeoff for you, but I'll take it.

    2. Re:You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your phone calls probably don't already do that, right?

    3. Re:You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It also doesn't allow you to share with family unless they live in the same country. Lame.

      Most of my family is spread out across the world.

    4. Re:You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google doesn't know who I call. The phone app is open source and a part of Android, not GApps. I also don't sync anything from any of my Android devices.

    5. Re:You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol? what are you, a sperm donor?

    6. Re:You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, we're just not ignorant shut-ins.

      I suppose you were born in, live in and will die in the exact same place? That's just sad.

    7. Re:You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Run your own DAV server using ownCloud. It's good to sync, but do it with a server you control.

    8. Re: You are the product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahh, the "I'm intrinsically better than you because multiculturalism" trope. Haven't seen that pop up in like a week. Was wondering if I missed the memo like I missed the "bacon isn't cool any more, tacos are cool" memo.

  4. How is this different? by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    I just have the same account on all the family devices and it seems to have worked well so far. How does this offer any difference?

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:How is this different? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      By everyone having their own account. You fucking retard.

    2. Re: How is this different? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's different if you're a developer: Apple's sharing plan is opt-in, but Google's is mandatory from this point forward. Hope you don't mind giving copies away.

  5. What could possibly go wrong? by daveime · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dad just downloaded Anal Action 3, and Mom is enjoying the interactive 50 Shades of Grey app. Would you like to see what else your parents did, or continue with your purchase of $1000 worth of Pokemon-Go coins on Dads credit card?

    1. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Informative

      It helps to RTFA:

      Users are also able to choose which of their content to make unavailable for the family, like dad's horror films, or the college daughter's explicit music.

      This is the one feature sorely lacking from Apple's family sharing.

      --
      How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    2. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Why would it matter? Everyone knows mac users only watch disney movies and classic cartoons.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's easy enough to block your purchases from others. There's also the age restrictions, which IIRC will block inappropriate content from your kid's accounts whether purchases or not.

      So what you're really saying is that you can't operate the Apple configuration for these things, yet you figured out how to post. Intriguing.

    4. Re:What could possibly go wrong? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mac users watch little girl cartoons like My Little Pony with gay porn marathons in between.

  6. Google rips off Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Once again, Google rips off Apple's innovative and useful features.

    When will Google stop copying Apple, and build something innovative on their own?

    (We hear the flip of this whenever Apple implements something Google has already done... I just thought we should try it the other way around this time.)

    1. Re:Google rips off Apple by unrtst · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure who had it first, but Amazon has had "Amazon Household" including "Family Library" for quite some time.
      This isn't really copying; it's just addressing some awful limitations that get imposed on everyone.

      They can't simply allow you to share your music (for example) with anyone and everyone, or they won't be allowed to sell music anymore.
      If they allow you to share with a small group, it may be enough to curb massive external sharing, especially for movies. The fewer people use things like torrents and such, the less value they'll have, and they may be able to control that smaller set of the population to at least keep it smallish.

      I'm not saying I agree with any of that, but it's their only real shot. There's no way I'm going to pay full price to "buy" a movie on itunes or google play or amazon video, and then not be able to loan it to a friend. It's bad enough that there is no resale.

    2. Re:Google rips off Apple by enjar · · Score: 1

      Prior art: My YMCA has a family membership plan, so does my insurance company. Spotify does, too. Amazon has it. So did the mom and pop video store we used to rent videos from when I was a kid. Parents could set up an account and then you could ride your bike to the video store with a few bucks and rent a movie without having to hassle mom and dad to go with you.

  7. Horror? by bagofbeans · · Score: 1

    I agree that daveime's suggested viewing for dad does appear to be in the horror genre.

  8. if only it actually worked... by green1 · · Score: 1

    The link to the feature in the article and summary give me a "not found" from google, and all searching I can do turns up the same thing, or articles from google pointing me to non-existent menu settings in the play store app on my phone.

    1. Re:if only it actually worked... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I got to it here: https://play.google.com/store/account

    2. Re:if only it actually worked... by internerdj · · Score: 1

      TFA: "By Friday, Google Play users will be able to share nearly all their purchases with family members, across all their devices."

    3. Re: if only it actually worked... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The summary says it's rolling out over the next 48 hours...

    4. Re:if only it actually worked... by green1 · · Score: 1

      That link works, but has absolutely nothing about family in it.

    5. Re:if only it actually worked... by green1 · · Score: 1

      You'd think that google, when communicating out a URL, would be able to at least put up a "coming soon" page. Or is that really too difficult for such a small software shop to figure out?

    6. Re: if only it actually worked... by green1 · · Score: 1

      So they communicate out the URL, before they put anything there? Isn't that kind of marketing 101 type stuff?

    7. Re:if only it actually worked... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought I was the only one confused by this. I finally bought a paid Youtube account two weeks ago so I could share Play Music between my wife and I...and then couldn't find the damn UI components *every* tutorial pointed at...

  9. "Strikingly Similar" by schitso · · Score: 1

    Wow, you mean basic features are similar to one another? I hear that Android phones also have touch screens and apps! Hmmmmmmm.

    1. Re:"Strikingly Similar" by green1 · · Score: 1

      Careful, Apple has sued for less...

  10. More data harvesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sheesh... More data harvesting. Now they want to know all your family members too...

    When will people wake up and smell the onions ? "The Cloud" is "The Enemy".

  11. fuck google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the most anti-competitive company in the history of mankind

  12. No music? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any reason? Thinking it could just be DMCA protection... It would help and put a lock on the heavy-handed limitations on activated devices on GPM.

  13. PENTAGON sharing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eric Schmidt works for Pentagon

    Family sharing is Pentagon sharing. Watch for it to be video (cam) account sharing. Then your kids are naked underworld, awaiting future extortion.

  14. BLANK ATM CARD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

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  15. ^^^^Re:PENTAGON sharing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MOD THIS UP.

  16. Another useful feature not for Google Apps domains by brettw · · Score: 1

    Just like Google Fi and Google Music (family plan), gapps accounts can't use it.

    It seemed like such a good idea back then.