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Apple releases two new videos showing viewers how to set up Apple Card Family

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Two new videos uploaded to Apple's YouTube channel show Apple Card cardholders how to add co-owners and participants to their Apple Card Family group.

The first video, titled "Apple Card - How to add a Co-Owner" details the process of adding a co-owner to your Apple Card.

By adding a partner, spouse, or someone you trust, users can build credit equally. Apple points out in the video description that both owners are individually liable for all balances on the co-owned Apple Card, including any existing amounts before the accounts merged. Co-owners will also have full visibility into all activity on the account.

The second video, "Apple Card - How to add a participant," walks viewers through the process of sharing an Apple Card with Family Members who are 13-years-old or older.

Cardholders are able to add what Apple calls "participants," or a person who has limited access to the Apple Card via the Wallet App. Cardholders can set individual limits for each participant. Participants, unlike co-owners, are not responsible for payments.

In the fine print at the end of the ad, Apple points out that participants' credit may be affected negatively if the cardholder forgets or skips payments or uses the card too frequently.

While Apple has begun announcing the Apple Card Family features since April, the program will not officially launch until July 2021.

Both videos highlight new features announced at Apple's Spring Loaded event. Apple Card Family allows cardholders to share their Apple Card with spouses, partners, and children over the age of 13.

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5 Comments

mike1 10 Years · 3437 comments

I also saw that even as Participants, a spouse's credit history is required/checked. Not that case with other participants that are signed up. That might matter to some.

robin huber 22 Years · 4026 comments

Tried to add wife, told she is “unavailable for sharing.” Both our phones updated and she is already sharing all other things in Family Share. What gives?

Update: Just got off phone with Apple Support. They are aware of the problem many have reported and are working on it. 

GeorgeBMac 8 Years · 11421 comments

This is great -- for adults.   But I would hesitate to add a teenager to my card.  
But, there is a better way for kids and teenagers:    Apple Cash via Family Sharing.

I just set my grandson up with this and its been working great.  
He was already a member of my Family Sharing.   So I went to family sharing under "Wallet" and added him there.   Now I or his mom (or anybody) can send him money and he can spend it anywhere that accepts Apple Pay.  He can also send cash to others via iMessage from his Apple Cash account. The benefit is that he can only spend what we have already given him -- he can't run up the balance on my Apple Card.  Plus, I get a transaction list of where he spent the money so I have some idea that it isn't being spent unwisely.  

shareef777 16 Years · 136 comments

Tried to add wife, told she is “unavailable for sharing.” Both our phones updated and she is already sharing all other things in Family Share. What gives?

Update: Just got off phone with Apple Support. They are aware of the problem many have reported and are working on it. 

Running into the same issue myself. My wife can’t share her Apple Card and neither can I. Though everything else is working fine under Family Sharing with our 3 kids.

robin huber 22 Years · 4026 comments

Tried to add wife, told she is “unavailable for sharing.” Both our phones updated and she is already sharing all other things in Family Share. What gives?

Update: Just got off phone with Apple Support. They are aware of the problem many have reported and are working on it. 
Running into the same issue myself. My wife can’t share her Apple Card and neither can I. Though everything else is working fine under Family Sharing with our 3 kids.

Tried again this morning; they still haven’t fixed it. There’s a story here, AI, look into it.