Google Play rolls out family sharing

By Friday,  Google Play users will be able to share nearly all their purchases with family members, across all their devices.

The feature will allow users to share apps, games, movies, TV shows or books from Google Play on Android devices. Movies, TV shows and books can be shared on iOS platforms and the Web.

"We all have a lot of devices," said Eunice Kim, head of families for Google Play. "Today in my own family, there's a couple of smart phones, some tablets some laptops, and of course the TV. Enjoying entertainment across all devices can be fairly challenging."

After a user signs up for the Family Library, the person adds up to five family members and decides on the credit card that will be used for the families purchases. Kim said a unique feature of Google Play compared to other family sharing initiatives is that family members can also choose to pay with their personal credit card or with gift cards.

The same user who organized the family can control who below the age of 18 needs permission to purchase content.

Users are also able to choose which of their content to make unavailable for the family, like dad's horror films, or the college daughter's explicit music.

The Family Library is very similar to Apple's Family Sharing that came out in 2014, which also allows up to six family members to share purchases and to decide who spends and sees what.

Kim said this is a "capstone of several years worth of launches that are very focused on family related efforts."

She cited a new operating system that launched early last year that contained parental controls as well as the family music plan that came out last December which allowed families to share music purchased on Google Play.

"Android has the biggest mobile user base in the world," Kim said. "The further we grow, the more important it is to really invest in these initiatives to really add more value to our bases."

The Google Family Library will roll out in the next 24-48 hours.