Google Play Matches Apple on Family Sharing of Apps, Books and Video
July 27 2016 - 12:10PM
Dow Jones News
By Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Android users will finally be able to do something that iPhone
owners have been able to do for the last two years: share apps,
games, books and video purchases with their family members, across
devices.
On Wednesday Alphabet Inc.'s Google introduced what it calls
Google Play Family Library, letting up to six people share the
apps, games, books, movies and TV shows that they have all
purchased from Google Play, Google's app and media store. That
means whoever you identify in the settings of the Google Play app
as "family" will be able to download and watch your purchase of the
latest Star Wars movie on their Android phone, Android tablet,
laptop or even Chromecast-connected TV.
Music tracks and albums purchased through Google Play, however,
are not part of the deal.
To set up sharing, you'll need to know the email addresses
linked to your family members' Google accounts. And no, they don't
actually have to be related.
Android apps and games don't run on iPhones or iPads, but since
Google Play has two apps for iOS -- one for books, another for
video -- the Family Library will give Apple owners some limited
access to their family member's purchases.
Google Play Family Library is essentially Google's answer to
Apple's Family Sharing, which lets up to six people share purchases
from iTunes and the App Store across iPhones, iPads, Apple TV
streaming boxes and any Mac or PC that has iTunes on it. Amazon and
Microsoft also offer no-added-cost programs that let you share
purchases with family.
Apple Family Sharing does allow users to share songs or albums
purchased from iTunes, however.
The reason Google won't? It wants you to buy into its music
streaming service, which offers its own family sharing plan for
$14.99. (Apple has a similar family plan in its rival Apple Music
service, too.)
Google lets each person choose if they want to keep a purchase
private of make it shareable. Apple does too, though you need a Mac
or PC running iTunes to "hide" purchases.
Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at
Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 27, 2016 11:55 ET (15:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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