Using Apple’s Family Sharing option is a great way of sharing your apps, subscriptions, and media with your family (and friends, let’s be honest). But as convenient as the service is, issues are still possible. For example, you could be greeted with the “This app is no longer shared with you” error message while trying to open an app shared with your family group.
We’ll try to resolve the problem in this article. So, if you can’t access apps shared with your family group, check some of the solutions listed below.
Table of contents:
- Offload the app
- Reinstall the app
- Update iOS
- Update the app
- Check if the app is still compatible with family sharing
- Remove and add your family members
How to deal with the “This app is no longer shared with you” error
Users who’ve encountered this issue before, agree that the most common solutions are offloading the problematic app or re-adding all your family members to the family group. We’re going to focus on these two solutions here, but I’ll also give you some additional workarounds, just so you can have more options when dealing with this problem.
1. Offload the app
The solution that seems to have helped the most people is offloading the problematic app. For some reason, offloading the app you can’t access and then bringing it back fixes the problem. I’m not sure about the reason for that, but most people from the forums seem to agree on this solution.
So, that’s exactly the first thing we’re going to try here. Here’s how to offload an app in iOS:
- Go to Settings.
- Head over to General > iPhone Storage.
- Scroll down until you find the app you want to offload.
- Tap the Google Photos app and go to Offload App.
- Tap Offload App to confirm.
Once you’ve offloaded the app, get back to its Settings page and tap Reinstall App. This will bring the app to its original state, and hopefully resolve your problem. If it doesn’t, move one to another solution.
2. Reinstall the app
In case offloading the app didn’t get the job done, you could try a more radical solution. And that’s reinstalling the app completely. Just head over to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, find the app you want to uninstall, and delete it. Keep in mind that this is different from offloading, as the app along with all of its data will be completely removed from your iPhone. So, when you install the app, you’ll have to set up everything from scratch.
Now just head over to the App Store and download the app again. If you can access it, you’re good to go. But if you keep getting the “This app is no longer shared with you” message, move on to another solution.
3. Update iOS
Internal iOS bugs can cause all sorts of issues. You never know what the next update may disrupt. So, a certain iOS version may include a bug that interferes with the Family Sharing feature and prevents you from accessing shared apps. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for me to know when you’ll be reading this article, so I can’t tell if a faulty iOS update is indeed the culprit.
However, if an update indeed contains a bug, Apple will probably figure it out sooner or later. As soon as the developers find out about the problem, they should release the fix in some future updates. That’s why it’s important to regularly check for new iOS updates.
To check for a new iOS update, head over to Settings > General > Software Update. Install the new update if it’s available, and see if the problem persists.
4. Update the app
Just like it’s important to keep the whole OS up to date, it’s also important to do the same for your apps. Because who knows, maybe the current version of the app you’re trying to open contains a bug that interferes with Family sharing.
If there’s indeed a bug inside the app’s code that prevents family members from accessing it, developers will probably quickly tackle the problem and release a fix with the next update. To update your apps, head over to the App Store and search for the app you want to update. If there’s a new update, install it and see how the app behaves afterward.
5. Check if the app is still compatible with family sharing
For an app to be available for sharing with your family group, it needs to be compatible with Family Sharing. To check if the app is compatible with Family Sharing, head over to the App Store, find the app you want to access, and scroll down to the bottom of its Store page. If the app is compatible with Family Sharing, you’ll see the badge that confirms that. But if the app isn’t compatible with Family Sharing, you won’t see anything.
If you find out the app isn’t compatible with Family Sharing, there are two possible scenarios. It either wasn’t compatible with Family Sharing in the first place, or the developer simply removed its compatibility with the service. Now, the latter is highly unlikely, as I don’t see a valid reason for a developer to revoke the Family Sharing compatibility from its app. But app development and distribution is a complicated business, so you never know. It’s best to check just in case.
6. Remove and add your family members
Another solution that seems to have resolved the issue for some people on the forums is re-adding all the family members to the family group. So, just head over to your family group, remove all your family members, and then come back and add them again. I’m not sure why does this resolve the problem with accessing shared apps, but apparently, it does.
First, here’s how to remove all your family members from your family group:
- Go to Settings.
- Head over to [your name] > Family Sharing.
- Tap the member’s name, and then tap Remove [member’s name] from Family.
- Repeat the process for all members.
Now, add all your family members to the group again. Here’s how to do that:
- Go to Settings.
- Head over to [your name] > Family Sharing.
- Tap Invite People, then follow the on-screen instructions.
That’s about it. If forums were to be believed, you should be able to access the shared apps now, and the “This app is no longer shared with you” error message should go away.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, feel free to write them down in the comments below.
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