How to Access Shared Books in Apple Books App

By Rachel Needell Updated 01/11/2024

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Family Sharing is a super cool feature that allows you to have up to five family members share access to Apple services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, and more. Family Sharing comes in handy when you want your husband to read the amazing new book you found in the Apple Books app. I'll walk you through exactly how to find your family member's books in the Apple Books—formerly iBooks—app.

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Why You'll Love This Tip

Easily allow your family access to the best books you've been reading via the Apple Books app.
Allow purchases of books from the Apple Books app to be completed by the whole family on one single credit card or account.

How to Share Books in iBooks

Did you just read the best murder-mystery novel and now you have to have your husband read it too? I can certainly relate to the desire to share my favorite books with anyone who will listen. By using the Family Sharing feature, sharing my favorite novels has become easier than ever. In order to use this tip, make sure you've set up Family Sharing! If you like tips like this, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter! Here's how to find family members' books in the Apple Books app.

On your iPhone, open the Books app.
Tap your profile icon at the top right of the screen.

Under Family Purchases, select an available family member.
From here, if the person has multiple kinds of book formats, select either Books or Audiobooks as you like.

If you tapped Books, you'll be taken to the user's book library sorted by genre. Select a genre or tap All Books.
Select a book and then tap the Download button.

Once your book finishes downloading, you should be able to read it yourself! This is such a great way to make sure my family reads the book I recommend, especially because they don't have to go out and buy it themselves! Another super convenient way to share media for the whole family from Apple. Happy reading!

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Author Details

Rachel Needell

Rachel Needell is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and a poet and author. With 10-plus years of experience working with Apple devices, she specializes in all-things iPad and is a Notes App expert, having worked on both the 2023 iPad Guide and the Notes App Guide. You can usually find her writing in the Daily Tip newsletter as one of our senior Tip writers. Rachel received her Master’s degree in English Literature in 2021 and her most recent work appears in the Winter ’21 edition of New Note Poetry. When she’s not obsessing about Apple products, you can find her voraciously reading fantasy books with her cat in Asheville, North Carolina.

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