Google is finally rolling out the much needed Google Play Family Library feature that would allow families to share their paid apps, TV shows and movies inside their home for free.
Apple already has a Family Sharing feature for their iTunes app and content for several years now and the search engine giant has just recently unveiled a feature for their own Google Play Store. Members of a family can now share their content with each other without having to pay for it again or to give away their account details.
Google Play Family Library allows users to pay with their own credit card or from the main account provided they have access, The Verge has learned. It can work for up to six different accounts and across multiple devices as well.
The search engine giant is rolling out the new Google Play Family Library feature in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Ireland, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil and Australia. Users inside the Family Library can also choose whether they would like to share a content with a specific account or not.
For instance, an adult themed movie could be shared with other adults in the family but not with the kids' account. Parents inside the Google Play Family Library will also have the option to approve first the purchases of their children, Forbes reported.
It could then give parents the much needed control over app purchases as kids can sometimes buy as much as thousands of dollars even without the consent of adults. It was a glaring problem as parents often just gave their tablets and smartphones to their children without locking their account purchase capabilities first.
Apps and content that have been bought with the Google Play Family Library will be allowed to be used or consumed in other Android and ChromeOS devices. It can even allow the content to be used in other iPhones and iPads provided that a Google account is used.
Google is now rolling out the new Google Paly Family Library feature across the said countries and regions. It is unclear whether the search engine giant will still release the feature into more areas in the future.