GOOG Alphabet Inc

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)

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