- Steps to add family members to YouTube TV
- Who can join a YouTube TV family group
- The household rule
- What family members get
- What only the family manager can do
- Family group or a shared password?
- Setting up children
- A privacy point to know first
- Removing someone from the family group
- If an invitation doesn't arrive or won't work
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To add family members to YouTube TV, the account holder goes to Settings, Family sharing, Manage and creates a family group, then invites people by email. You can add up to 5 members aged 13 or older, and they must live in the same household. Each person gets their own Library and recommendations.
YouTube TV lets one membership cover a whole household, but only through a family group, and only the person who set up the membership can run it. Members each sign in with their own Google Account, so recordings and recommendations stay separate. Here's how to set it up, the household rule people get caught by, and what members can and can't do.
Steps to add family members to YouTube TV
- Sign in to YouTube TV as the account holder, at tv.youtube.com or in the app.
- Select your profile picture, then Settings.
- Select Family sharing.
- Select Manage, then Get Started, then Create a family group.
- Check the account details and select Confirm.
- Invite family members. Each person gets an email invitation and joins with their own Google Account.
Once someone accepts, they sign in to YouTube TV on any supported device with their own account and start watching.
Who can join a YouTube TV family group
| Family manager | Family member | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 18 or older | 13 or older |
| Account | A Google Account | A Google Account |
| Where they live | In the United States | In the same household as the manager |
| Other groups | Not in another family group | Not in another family group |
You can have up to 5 members as well as yourself. Parents can also create child accounts inside the family group.
The household rule
This is the rule that trips people up. YouTube TV says family members must live in the same household as the family manager. It's not a way to share with a sibling across the country. Because local channels are tied to the home area that only the manager can set, a member living elsewhere will run into location problems sooner or later. YouTube TV also asks frequent travellers to use the service in their home area at least once every 3 months to keep the right local networks.
What family members get
- Their own Library. Each person builds a personal library of recordings. YouTube TV says your DVR and viewing preferences are your own.
- Their own recommendations. Watch history isn't shared with the rest of the group.
- Any extra packages. Members can watch extra packages and networks the family manager has added.
What only the family manager can do
- Make membership decisions.
- Set the home location.
- Invite or remove family members.
So if you're a member and something about the account needs changing, from channels to location, it has to go through the manager.
Family group or a shared password?
Plenty of households just share one login, and it works until it doesn't. With one shared account, everyone's recordings land in the same Library, and everyone's viewing shapes the same recommendations, so the Home tab fills up with a mix of cartoons, cooking shows and sport that suits nobody. A family group fixes that. Each person signs in with their own Google Account, keeps their own Library and gets recommendations built from their own history. Nobody needs the manager's password, which also means nobody can change the account by accident.
Setting up children
YouTube TV says parents can create child accounts within the family group. That's the tidier option for younger children than handing them a parent's sign-in, because their viewing stays separate from yours. Teenagers aged 13 or older can join as normal members with their own Google Account.
A privacy point to know first
Members of a family group can see each other's name, photos and email address. That's fine for a household, but worth knowing before you invite someone whose email you wouldn't normally share with the rest of the family. Remember too that family groups on Google cover more than YouTube TV: the same group is used for sharing other Google services.
Removing someone from the family group
Only the manager can remove a member, and it's done from the same Family sharing area in YouTube TV's Settings where the group was created. Their own Library stays with their account rather than yours, because recordings were never shared in the first place.
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If an invitation doesn't arrive or won't work
- Check the email address you used is the one linked to their Google Account.
- Ask them to check spam or promotions folders for the invitation.
- Confirm they aren't already in another Google family group, because you can only be in one.
- Check they're 13 or older on their Google Account.
If the shared account later has playback trouble on one person's TV, my guide to YouTube videos not playing covers the device checks, and if you're the manager weighing whether to keep the service, read how to cancel YouTube TV first, because it affects everyone in the group.
My verdict
A family group is the right way to share YouTube TV: everyone keeps their own recordings and recommendations, and nobody needs your password. Set it up from Settings, Family sharing, invite up to 5 people in your household, and keep the manager role with whoever's in charge of the account, because only they can change the home area or the members.
Frequently asked questions
How many people can share YouTube TV?
A family group can include up to 5 other members besides the family manager.
How do I add someone to my YouTube TV?
Go to Settings, Family sharing, Manage, create a family group, then invite them by email.
Can family members live in a different house?
No. YouTube TV says family members must live in the same household as the family manager.
Do family members share recordings?
No. Each member builds their own personal Library, and watch history isn't shared.
Who can remove someone from a YouTube TV family group?
Only the family manager can invite or remove family members.
