In this article, we will show you how to share your books purchased from the Apple Bookstore with up to five family members and also access their purchases.
The Apple Books app is an excellent way to catch up on some reading, especially if you own an iPad. There are plenty of e-books available on Apple Books, but you cannot donate or pass on a book to someone after you’re done reading it. However, Apple allows you to share your digital books with family members.
Also see: How to keep track of books you want to read in Apple Books
Set up Family Sharing for Apple Books
Before you can share your Apple Books with others, you’ll need to set up Family Sharing. Apple allows up to five family members, which is good even for a small book club. You can skip these steps if you have already added your family members to Apple’s digital Family setup and everyone has enabled purchase sharing.
1) Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap Family. If that’s not visible, tap your name from the top and select Family.
2) Tap the add members icon from the top right and invite your family to join your digital family.
3) Once family members are added, tap Purchase Sharing from the Family settings screen, select your name, and make sure Share Purchases is turned on. This means your family members can now see the purchases you make.
4) Next, ask your family member(s) to go to their iPhone Settings > Family > tap their name > Purchases and turn on Share My Purchases. This will ensure this person’s purchases are accessible to other family members.
After you’ve set up Family Sharing, everyone part of the family will have access to each other’s Books app library and other media purchases.
Access and read books purchased by family members
1) Open the Books app and tap your profile icon from the top right of the Home tab.
2) Look for the Family Purchases section and tap one of the member’s names.
3) Tap Books or Audiobooks to access items this family member has purchased or downloaded for free. Hit the READ button to read that book on your device.
You can also follow our guide on how to manage your Apple Books library to have a better grasp of things.
Hide books
If you do not want a certain book or media of yours to be accessible to your family members, go to the Books app on your device and hide that purchase.
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