How to Remove a Child From Family Sharing

Family Sharing is an iOS feature that lets families share their iTunes and App Store purchases without having to pay for them multiple times. It's convenient, useful, and easy to set up and use. It's easy except when it comes to removing children from Family Sharing. In one scenario, Apple has made it difficult—and in one case almost, but not quite, impossible—to end Family Sharing for some kids.

These instructions apply to devices with iOS 10.2 and later.

How to Remove Kids 13 and Older From Family Sharing on iOS

You can easily remove kids who are 13 years and older who are included in your Family Sharing group. Here's what to do:

You must be the organizer of the Family Sharing group to make changes to memberships.

Open the Settings app on any iOS device signed in to your Apple ID.
Tap your name at the top of the screen.
Tap Family Sharing.
Select the name of the person you want to remove from Family Sharing.
Tap Remove.

How to Remove a Kid 13 and Older from Family Sharing on Mac

You can also remove family members on your Mac or laptop. Here's how:

Go to the Apple menu and open System Preferences.
Click iCloud.
Click Manage Family.
Select the name of the person you want to remove from Family Sharing.
Click Remove.

Removing Kids 13 and Under From Family Sharing

Apple doesn't allow you to remove a child under the age of 13 from your Family Sharing (in the U.S., at least; the age is different in other countries). When you add a child that young to your Family Sharing group, they're there to stay until they turn 13.

If you started Family Sharing and added a child under 13, you can't remove them on your own. You have a few ways you can potentially get out of this situation:

Disband the family: You can disband the entire Family Sharing group and start again. When you create the new group, don't add the child under 13. If you and the child are the only people on your Family Sharing list, you need to transfer them before you can stop Family Sharing.
Transfer the child to another family: When you add a child under 13 to Family Sharing, you can't delete them, but you can transfer them to another Family Sharing group. To do that, the organizer of another Family Sharing group needs to invite the child to join their group. In this case, the child's Family Sharing account won't be deleted, but it won't be your responsibility any longer.
Call Apple: If transferring a child to another Family Sharing group isn't an option, call Apple. While the company doesn't give you a way to remove a child from Family Sharing, it has other tools that can help. Call 1-800-MY-APPLE and talk to someone who can provide support for iCloud.

When you call Apple, make sure you have all of the relevant information handy. The customer service representative will need the email address for the account of the child you want to remove. You'll also need a device handy so that you can access your own Apple ID. Apple Support will walk you through the process of removing the child, though the official removal can take up to 7 days.

After the Child Is Removed From Family Sharing

Once the child is removed from your Family Sharing group, they won't be able to access the content they downloaded to their device from other Family Sharing members. Any content the child shared with the family group that they're no longer part of becomes inaccessible to other people in the same way.