TV Shows Not Showing Up on Your Apple Family Sharing Account

Set up Family Sharing to monitor your kids’ viewing choices and manage their time on their devices. This is especially useful if your kids have their own Apple ID accounts.

What Is Family Sharing?

Family Sharing is a special subscription for Apple devices that allows family members to share apps and features, such as iTunes, App Store purchases, Apple Books, and a lot more between themselves. It also allows members to quickly locate another member’s missing device. Best of all, it allows convenient sharing of music, movies, and TV shows, so purchases have to be done only once.

But as perfect as Family Sharing seems for families, it is no stranger to issues. At first, things may start out smooth with it. However, once more apps are downloaded and installed on an Apple device, errors can begin to surface. Among the common issues that may possibly arise are:

• TV shows are not showing up on a Family Share iPad
• Family Sharing on iPad is not working
• Purchases from Family Sharing are not showing up

If you’ve encountered any of these issues, know that you are not alone. Many Family Sharing users have reported the same issues as well, so we came up with the solutions below. Try each one of them until you find the best fix for your Family Sharing problem.

What to Do If Apple Family Sharing Is Not Working

Couldn’t see any family shared content? Do you need help accessing the shared purchases of your family members on the platform? Here are some solutions you should try:

1. Check Your Family Sharing Settings.

Before you try other troubleshooting options, review your current Family Sharing Settings first. Check if you are using the correct Apple ID when signing in. Do the same check with your family members. Make sure they are using the correct Apple ID, too.

Next, see if the apps and features you want your family members to use and access are enabled. Follow these steps:

iPod, iPhone, or iPad

1. Open Settings > [Your Device Name] > Family Sharing. For iOS 10.2 devices or earlier, open Settings > iCloud > Family.
2. Select your name.
3. Check the current Apple ID being used. If it’s not the one associated with Family Sharing, tap the Apple ID and change it to the correct one.
4. Navigate back to Family Sharing. Make sure that the Apple Music and/or Purchase Sharing is enabled by simply tapping on them.

Mac or MacBook

1. Go to the Apple Menu.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Click iCloud.
4. Select Manage Family and click on your device’s name.
5. Verify if you are using the correct Apple ID associated with Family Sharing. If not, change it.
6. Next, click My Apps & Services.
7. Navigate to Purchase Sharing and be sure that Share my purchases is marked. You can also open Apple Music and check if you are subscribed to an Apple Music family membership.

2. Check the Apple ID You Are Currently Using on iTunes Store.

Apart from checking your Family Sharing Settings, you also need to check the account you are currently signed in to on iTunes Store. Here’s how:

iPod, iPhone, or iPad

1. Go to Settings > [Your Device Name].
2. Select iTunes & App Stores.
3. Check if you are using the correct Apple ID that is associated with your Family Sharing subscription.

Mac or MacBook

1. Go to iTunes.
2. Navigate to Account.
3. Check if you are using the correct Apple ID that is associated with your Family Sharing subscription.

3. Sign Out of iTunes and Apple Store and Sign In Again.

If you still can’t see your shared files on Apple Family Sharing, try to sign out of iTunes and Apple Store. And then, sign in again. To do that, follow these instructions:

iPod, iPhone, or iPad

1. For devices running on iOS 10.3 or later, open Settings > [Your Device Name]. Next, press Sign Out. For devices running on iOS 10.2 or earlier, open Settings > iTunes & App Store. Click on your Apple ID. Then, press Sign Out.
2. Follow the onscreen prompts to completely sign out.
3. Attempt to sign in again by going to Settings > [Your Device Name] or Settings > iTunes & App Store. Tap on your Apple ID. Then, enter your password.
4. Tap Sign In.

Mac or MacBook

1. Go to iTunes.
2. Click on your account name and press Sign Out.
3. Click on your account name again and press Sign In.
4. Enter your Apple login credentials and click Sign In.

Apple TV

1. Navigate to Settings > Accounts.
2. Select iTunes & App Store.
3. Click Sign Out.
4. Log in again by clicking Sign In and providing your Apple credentials.
5. Click Sign In again.

4. Check If the App Is Shareable.

Sometimes, you can’t access an app or a file on your Family Sharing account because the app itself is not shareable. To find out if an app is shareable, check its product page in the App Store. Go to the Family Sharing section and see if it says “Yes” or “No.”

5. Verify If the Purchase Is Hidden.

If a family member decided to hide one item or app, other members won’t see it. This is likely the case if somebody in the family downloads a TV show and it does not show on your iPad.

To hide or unhide an app on Family Sharing, here’s what you should do:

1. Go to the App Store.
2. Press Today at the bottom of your screen.
3. Navigate to your account and select Purchased. If you are using Family Sharing, tap your name and see all your purchases.
4. Find the app you wish to hide or unhide. Swipe to the left and tap Hide or Unhide.
5. Press Done.

6. Make Sure Your Apple Device Meets the System Requirements.

For you to access any Family Sharing content, you need an Apple device like an iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Mac, or MacBook. In the event that you don’t seeing any TV show shared on your Family Sharing account, then it is possible that you are using an older device that is not supported by Family Sharing.

7. Rid Your System of Junk Files.

Is there a TV show on your Family Sharing account that you wish to watch on your Mac, but unfortunately it’s not showing on your end? One possible reason is that your Mac already has plenty of junk files that are messing with your system.

To fix this, you need to download and install a reliable Mac cleaning tool to get rid of junk files on your system. In just a few clicks, you should be able to identify all junk files and delete them as needed.

Wrapping Up

Not all content shared on Family Sharing is eligible for sharing. Some can be hidden by family members, while others come with app or file restrictions. So the next time you don’t see your favorite TV show on Family Sharing, try the solutions listed above until you find a fix.

What other Apple Family Sharing problems have you encountered? Share them with us below and we’ll help you get to the bottom of things.