Goodbye allowances in iTunes / iBooks / App Stores; welcome, Family Sharing!

This business of buying content in bulk is not for beginners.

With three teenage daughters in a family of five consumers, my spending on the iTunes Store was close to $ 800 a month between music, series, movies and games. When I discovered the “iTunes grant” feature ("ITunes Allowances" that allows us to create allowances for family or friends at the Apple store), it was a great relief.

ITunes Store Allowances

For those who do not know, here is an explanation of what it is about:

With the iTunes grant, you can send someone a monthly iTunes Store credit to make purchases at the iTunes Store, App Store, or iBooks Store.

After activating the iTunes grant, the set value will be automatically added to the Apple ID that the recipient uses in the iTunes Store. The full amount of the grant is processed on the first day of each month until you suspend or remove it.

It is not necessary for the person who receives the grant to spend the full amount every month. The remaining amount is transferred to the next month.

Anyone can receive an iTunes grant. But you won't be able to buy iTunes allowances for other people if the “Ask to buy” feature is enabled.

$ 50 per month, per daughter. Not a little, but at least I set a limit for a spending tap so far uncontrollable. This figure may seem sufficient for a child of 10 or 11 years old.

At the . Considering that the entire season of a series cost around $ 30 and a movie, $ 12, you can imagine that now and then I was still obliged to borrow these from dads, which they never charge back.

The total average plummeted to around $ 500. Even so, there was still a problem. A series like “Supernatural”, for example, was a hit among girls. And like the idea of ​​the content on demand watch wherever and however you want, more than once my daughters have bought the same season three times.

Injustice, it seemed to me. But do what, if Apple who's boss? Then “Family Sharing” ("Family Sharing") the best invention since the credit card, seriously.

Family Sharing

Now the content purchased by one could be shared with everyone. Justice, finally. Spending cost no more than $ 200 a month.

There are still problems, as always. Some older Apple TV models do not recognize Family Sharing. Still, it was so worth it that I stopped using the iTunes grant. Apple, of course, must have realized this and is ending the functionality it will stay on the air until May 25 (since the day before yesterday, 4/13, no more possible to make concessions). I even think that Apple must not have lost revenue, since the user base will naturally increase.

Everyone happy, anyway.

(via MacRumors)