Family Sharing entitlements handled

When Family Sharing is enabled for an IAP subscription in App Store Connect, up to five family members share the entitlement. A family member's receipt carries inAppOwnershipType == .familyShared rather than .purchased. Apps that validate receipts without handling this ownership type will incorrectly deny access to paying family members — users who legitimately share the subscription but are treated as non-subscribers. Apple's Family Sharing IAP documentation specifies that apps must handle FAMILY_SHARED_MEMBER_JOINED App Store Server Notification v2 events when Family Sharing is enabled. The check is low severity because Family Sharing is disabled by default and most apps do not enable it.

If you enable Family Sharing in App Store Connect, update your entitlement validation to accept the familyShared ownership type in addition to purchased.

// StoreKit 2 — Swift
for await transaction in Transaction.currentEntitlements {
  if case .verified(let tx) = transaction {
    let isOwnerOrFamily = tx.ownershipType == .purchased || tx.ownershipType == .familyShared
    if isOwnerOrFamily { unlockPremium() }
  }
}

For RevenueCat users: Family Sharing is handled automatically — no extra code required. For custom App Store Server Notification v2 webhook handlers (POST /api/apple/notifications or equivalent), add a handler branch for the FAMILY_SHARED_MEMBER_JOINED notification type to grant access to the family member's user record.

• ID: app-store-iap-subscriptions.restore-entitlements.family-sharing
• Severity: low
• What to look for: Count all relevant instances and enumerate each. Determine if Family Sharing is enabled for the app's IAP products (Apple's Family Sharing allows up to 5 family members to share a subscription). Look for Family Sharing signals: isFamilyShareable in StoreKit 2 Product objects, RevenueCat entitlement handling documentation, or any code that handles the FAMILY_SHARED_MEMBER_JOINED App Store Server Notification v2 event. If Family Sharing is enabled in App Store Connect, the app must handle entitlements for family members who did not initiate the purchase — their receipt will have inAppOwnershipType == .familyShared. Check if the entitlement validation flow accounts for this ownership type.
• Pass criteria: Family Sharing is not enabled (skip), or if enabled, the entitlement flow handles familyShared ownership type correctly. At least 1 implementation must be verified.
• Fail criteria: Family Sharing is enabled in the app but the entitlement validation code only accepts PURCHASED ownership type, causing family members to be incorrectly denied access.
• Skip (N/A) when: Family Sharing not enabled for any IAP products (most common case — default is disabled), or using Android only (Google Play Family Library has different mechanics handled differently), or cannot be determined from codebase alone.
• Detail on fail: "App Store Server Notifications handler in api/apple/notifications.ts does not handle FAMILY_SHARED_MEMBER_JOINED event type despite Family Sharing enabled for subscription product"
• Remediation: If you enable Family Sharing in App Store Connect, verify your entitlement flow:
  1. RevenueCat handles family sharing automatically — no extra code needed
  2. For custom validation, check inAppOwnershipType in the signed transaction:

     // StoreKit 2
     for await transaction in Transaction.currentEntitlements {
       if case .verified(let tx) = transaction {
         let isOwnerOrFamily = tx.ownershipType == .purchased || tx.ownershipType == .familyShared
         if isOwnerOrFamily { unlockPremium() }
       }
     }