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4 Fixes to Family Sharing iCloud Storage not Working on iPhone/iPad
You may want to share your iCloud storage plan with your family or friends, but find Family Sharing iCloud storage not working. Just try the four solutions in this guide to get out of the issue.
By Demi / Updated on March 5, 2024
Family member cannot access my iCloud storage
I paid for the 200GB iCloud storage plan so that we would never have to see the “cloud storage full” message. However, although my mother has subscribed the shared iCloud storage plan, it shows that she is the “not using” person. How do I resolve this?
- Question from Reddit
Since iOS 11, Apple released a Family Sharing function, which allows you to share iCloud storage with family as long as you pay for 200 GB or greater iCloud storage plan.
However, A lot of forum users have recently encountered the same problem - Family Sharing iCloud storage not working on the iPhone/iPad of whom have subscribed to the iCloud storage plan. If you have the same issue, keep reading this guide, and get useful solutions to get you out of the issue.
How can you share iCloud storage with family?
If you find that you cannot share iCloud storage with family, please make sure you have set up it correctly. Therefore, before every troubleshooting, follow the steps below to check whether you and your family who would share the iCloud storage with have set up it right.
To let your family members get access to your shared iCloud storage, you need to not only add them to your Family Sharing but also add them to your iCloud storage plan. You can go to the Settings app on your iPhone > Tap [your name] > Family Sharing > iCloud Storage to have a check whether your family members have been added.
If they have been in your iCloud storage plan, then move to the next part to troubleshoot the issue. If not, in iCloud Storage > Tap Let Your Family Know > Tap the Send button to send an invitation to your family member > Then, tap Close.
To accept the invitation to join the iCloud storage plan, just ask your family member to open Messages > Tap iCloud invitation in the massage > Finally, tap Accept to join it.
Fixes to family sharing iCloud storage not working
If there is nothing wrong with the settings of sharing iCloud storage with your family, you may need the solutions in this guide to fix the issue - Apple family sharing icloud storage not working. Just try them one after another until your issue gets fixed. You can also move to the next part to get a backup tool to backup your iOS devices without storage limitation.
Fix 1. Update iOS to the latest version
An outdated version of operating system always contains some software glitches and bugs which may lead to Family Sharing iCloud storage not using. To ensure you can enjoy all the Apple features, it is suggested to keep iOS up-to-date on both your and your family members’ iOS devices.
Just go to the Settings app on iPhone/iPad > Tap General > Choose Software Update to check if there is a new version available. If there is, follow the onscreen instruction to update it.
Fix 2. Sign out & in iCloud account
If you still have the annoying issue after updating iOS try logging out of the Apple ID on the device that cannot access iCloud storage plan to have a refresh.
Go to Settings app > Tap your profile > Scroll down and click Sign out > Sign in with your password to make it.
Wait for some minutes and sign in again to check if your family member can enjoy the iCloud storage plan.
Fix 3. Unsubscribe & subscribe the shared iCloud storage plan
You can also let your family member unsubscribe and subscribe again to the shared iCloud storage plan by leaving the family group. In this way, the issue Family Sharing iCloud storage not working may get solved.
You can go to the Settings > Tap your name > Choose Family Sharing > Tap your name and click Stop Using Family Sharing.
To invite your family member, on your iPhone, go to Family Sharing > Add Member > Enter the email address of your family member.
Fix 4. Force restart iPhone
It’s one of the most simple and workable solutions to fix most problems you may encounter on iOS devices. Including many iCloud issues, like iCloud storage not working or uploading folders to iCloud Drive is not supported. Your issue can also be fixed by force restarting the iPhone of your family member.
For iPhone 8 and later: Press the both Volume Up and Volume Down buttons together, hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo appears.
For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Press the Sleep/Wake button and Volume Down button. And your iPhone will be restarted after the Apple logo appearing.
For iPhone 6 and earlier: Press the Sleep/Wake button and Home button until you see the Apple logo appears.
Bonus: Backup iPhone/iPad via the best iCloud alternative
Without sharing iCloud space with your family members, how about try a backup tool to backup your iOS devices, as well as your families' individually? As one of the best iCloud alternatives for iPhone/iPad/iPods, FoneTool is highly recommended to backup your and your family members’ iOS devices. You can rely on it to separately backup yours and your family members’ files without storage space limitations. Besides, offline backup service avoids the risk of a possible privacy leak that may happen in iCloud.
| Best iCloud Alternative - FoneTool | Function |
|---|---|
| 📂 Optional and unlimited backup storage space | With FoneTool, you have got kinds of unlimited backup storage space because it allows you to save the backup files to local folders on computer, external hard drives, NAS, and so on. |
| 🖥️ Selective Backup & Full Backup | You can choose to backup wanted photos, videos, music, etc. selectively with the Selective Backup function. While you can also backup everything on iDevices with the Full Backup function. |
| ⚡ Offline and fast backup service. | Different from iCloud, it just takes you 3 seconds to backup 100 photos to computer via USB connection using FoneTool. |
Free download the software to your computer, and let it help you and your family members backup iOS devices on computer with three simple steps.
Step 1. Connect the iPhone/iPad to computer with compatible USB > Run FoneTool and click Phone Backup > Choose Selective Backup.
Step 2. Click the icons to preview and select the files you’d like to backup > Click OK to confirm.
Step 3. Choose the wanted destination to save the backup files (local folders, USB, NAS, etc. are all allowed) > Click Start Backup to begin the task.
To check your backup files, you can visit the Backup History page from the main interface. You can also restore or erase the backup files here.
Besides the backup functions, FoneTool is also a powerful tool for you and your family member to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone with different Apple IDs.
iCloud storage full? Just try FoneTool's new function to manage your iCloud data. You are able to delete unwanted files from your iCloud to get more storage space.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the issue -Family Sharing iCloud storage not working can be fixed with the solutions in this guide. Besides, if you’re seeking for a simple iCloud alternative, FoneTool will help you better manage your data on your iOS devices. If this guide helps you, please share it with others.