What to do if…
your family sharing or purchase sharing settings changed without your permission

What to do now

1. Stop new spending risk first.

   • Check recent purchases, subscriptions, and family payment-method activity in the relevant Apple, Google, or banking app.
   • If you see charges or subscriptions you do not recognise, contact your bank or card provider using the number on your card or the official banking app.
   • Ask your bank or card provider what they can do to prevent further charges, such as freezing the card, blocking the merchant, disputing a payment, or replacing the card.
   • If the platform and your account role allow it, pause purchase sharing, change purchase approval settings, change the family payment method, or remove shared payment access until you are confident the account is secure.

2. Secure the account that controls the sharing.

   • Change the Apple Account, Google Account, or email password to a new password you do not use anywhere else.
   • Turn on two-step verification or two-factor authentication where it is available.
   • Use the official account security settings to sign out other sessions or devices you do not recognise.
   • If you cannot sign in, use the official account recovery route for that provider.

3. Check the ways someone could get back in.

   • From a device you trust, review recovery emails, phone numbers, trusted devices, security events, and recent sign-ins.
   • Remove recovery details only if you are confident they are not yours.
   • Check the email account that receives password resets. Look for forwarding rules, filters, recovery details, or sign-in alerts you did not set up.
   • If the same password was used elsewhere, change it on those accounts too.

4. Lock down Family Sharing or Google Play family settings.

   • Apple Family Sharing: on iPhone or iPad, open Settings, then tap Family. If you cannot see Family, tap your name, then tap Family. Review members, organiser status, purchase sharing, shared subscriptions, and Ask to Buy. If your role allows it, remove anyone you do not recognise or stop purchase sharing. Child-account restrictions may apply.
   • Google Play purchase approvals: on Android, open Google Play, tap your profile icon, then tap Settings, Family, Manage family members, the family member’s name, then Purchase approvals. Review whether approvals were changed. Approval settings usually apply only to purchases made through Google Play’s billing system.
   • Google Play family payment method: if you are the family manager, open Google Play, tap your profile icon, then Payments and subscriptions, Payment methods, and check the family payment method. Change it or remove shared payment access where available.
   • If you are not the organiser or family manager, use the official support route and save records of what you can see.

5. Save a small evidence trail.

   • Screenshot changed settings, unknown members, organiser or family manager details, unexpected approvals, and unexpected purchases or subscriptions.
   • Note the date and time you first noticed the change.
   • Keep notification emails as records, but do not use links inside them to sign in.

6. Report fraud if money was lost or the activity looks criminal.

   • If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, report cyber crime or fraud through Report Fraud.
   • If you live in Scotland, report it to Police Scotland on 101.
   • Continue to work with your bank or card provider on payment disputes or card protection.