You Just Got a New iPhone and Want Your Favorite Apps
You unbox that sleek new iPhone, feeling the excitement of a fresh start. But then it hits you. Your old phone is a treasure trove of carefully curated apps, from that perfect note-taking tool to the niche game you’ve spent months mastering. The thought of manually searching the App Store for each one, re-entering login details, and potentially repurchasing paid apps is a daunting chore that kills the new-device buzz.
This is a universal moment for iPhone users upgrading, helping a family member set up their device, or simply wanting to sync a great find with a friend. Fortunately, Apple has built several intuitive methods directly into iOS to share apps between iPhones. These methods preserve your purchases, save your data where possible, and turn a hours-long task into a few taps.
This guide will walk you through every official way to share apps from iPhone to iPhone. We will cover the seamless magic of Family Sharing for your household, the direct approach using the App Store’s purchase history, and the best practices for ensuring a smooth transition, including what to do with apps that are no longer available.
Leveraging Family Sharing for Automatic App Access
If you are sharing apps with a spouse, your children, or other family members in your household, Family Sharing is your most powerful and convenient tool. It creates a shared ecosystem where up to six people can access each other’s App Store purchases, subscriptions, and more without sharing Apple IDs.
The beauty of this system is its automation. Once set up, a family member can simply go to the App Store, search for an app you own, and download it for free if it was a paid purchase. They will not be charged again.
Setting Up Your Family Sharing Group
Before you can share apps, you need to create the family group. The person who sets this up becomes the family organizer, responsible for the payment method used for shared purchases.
On your iPhone, open the Settings app and tap your name at the top. Then, select Family Sharing. Tap Set Up Your Family and follow the on-screen prompts. You will be guided to invite family members via iMessage or in person. They will need to accept the invitation on their own Apple devices.
Once your group is active, return to the Family Sharing menu. Here, you will see a list of services you can share. Ensure Purchase Sharing is turned on. This is the toggle that allows app sharing to work.
How Family Members Download Your Apps
For a family member to get your apps, the process is straightforward. On their iPhone, they should open the App Store app and tap their profile icon in the top right corner. Under their account, they will see a new section labeled Family Purchases.
Tapping this will reveal a list of all family members who have Purchase Sharing enabled. They can select your name to browse every app you have ever purchased with that Apple ID. They can then tap the download cloud icon next to any app to install it directly on their device, at no cost.
It is important to note that in-app purchases and subscriptions do not always share through Family Sharing. Some developers choose to exclude them. The family member might need to make their own in-app purchase within a shared app.
Sharing Apps Directly via the App Store
What if you want to share an app with a friend who is not in your family group, or you are setting up a second iPhone for yourself? The App Store has a built-in sharing feature that sends a direct link.
This method does not grant a free copy of a paid app. Instead, it sends the recipient a link to the app’s App Store page. If it is a free app, they can download it instantly. If it is paid, they will be taken to the purchase page.
However, this is an excellent way to recommend an app or ensure someone finds the exact version you are using.
Using the Share Sheet to Send an App Link
Open the App Store on your iPhone and find the app you want to share. It could be from your search results, or you can go to your Purchased list by tapping your profile icon and selecting Purchased.
On the app’s store page, look for the share icon. It is a square with an arrow pointing upward, typically located near the top right of the screen or next to the Get or price button. Tap this share icon.
The iOS share sheet will appear. From here, you can send the app link via any method you like.
– iMessage or WhatsApp to send it directly to a contact.
– Mail to email the link.
– A note-taking app to save it for later.
– AirDrop to instantly beam the link to a nearby iPhone.
Select your preferred method, choose the recipient, and send it. When they open the link on their iPhone, it will launch directly into the App Store on the correct page, ready for them to download.
Restoring Purchases on a New iPhone
When you are moving all your apps to a new iPhone you own, the process is called restoring purchases. This is not sharing in the traditional sense, but it is the core technique for getting your paid apps onto a new device without paying again.
This method relies on you using the same Apple ID on both the old and new iPhone. Your purchase history is tied to your Apple ID, not to a specific device.
Using Your Purchase History to Redownload
On your new iPhone, open the App Store and tap your profile icon in the top right. Tap Purchased. You might see two tabs: All and Not on This iPhone.
The Not on This iPhone tab is particularly helpful, as it filters the list to only show apps you have bought with this Apple ID but are not currently installed on this device. Browse or search this list.
When you find an app you want, simply tap the download cloud icon next to it. The app will download and install. If it was a paid app, you will see a prompt confirming you will not be charged again. Tap OK to proceed.
For a massive migration, you can tap your profile icon in the App Store, then tap your name at the top of the menu to see your Account page. Here, look for an option like Purchased or Hidden Purchases to see your complete history.
What to Do When an App Is No Longer on the App Store
Sometimes, you will try to share or redownload an app only to find it has been removed by the developer or pulled by Apple. This is a common issue with older apps or those that have not been updated for newer iOS versions.
If the app was previously installed on an iPhone using your Apple ID, you might still be able to get it. The key is your personal purchase history, which often retains apps even after they are delisted.
Go to the App Store, tap your profile, and go to Purchased. Use the search bar within your purchases to look for the app by name. If it appears in this list with a download cloud icon, you can still install it. The icon will be grayed out if it is truly unavailable for download on the current iOS version.
For apps that are completely gone, there is no official way to share or install them. This highlights the importance of not relying solely on the App Store for critical data. Always use apps that offer their own cloud backup or data export features.
Troubleshooting Common App Sharing Problems
Even with Apple’s streamlined systems, you might hit a snag. Here are solutions to the most frequent issues.
The App Says Purchase Required for a Family Member
If a family member is prompted to buy an app you already own, first double-check that Purchase Sharing is enabled for your family group. The organizer can verify this in Settings under their name and Family Sharing.
Next, ensure the family member is looking in the correct place. They must go to the App Store, tap their profile, and select Family Purchases, not just search for the app directly. Searching the public App Store will always show the purchase price.
Some very old apps purchased under different App Store terms might not be eligible for sharing. This is rare but possible.
You Cannot Find an App in Your Purchase History
Your purchase history might be filtered. In the Purchased section of the App Store, tap All to see every app ever associated with your Apple ID, not just the ones compatible with your current device.
If you have multiple Apple IDs, you may have purchased the app with a different account. Try logging out and logging in with other Apple IDs you have used to check their purchase histories.
Apple also allows you to hide purchases. On your Account page in the App Store, scroll down to find Hidden Purchases. You might need to unhide an app from there before it appears in your main list.
AirDrop or Share Sheet Is Not Working
If you are trying to share an App Store link via AirDrop and it fails, ensure both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and that neither has Personal Hotspot active. Check that the receiving device is not set to AirDrop Receiving Off in Control Center.
For general share sheet issues, a simple restart of both iPhones often resolves temporary glitches with iOS services.
Your Strategic Path for Seamless App Transfers
Sharing apps between iPhones does not have to be a puzzle. By understanding which tool fits your situation, you can move from frustration to a fully loaded device in minutes.
For a permanent, automatic solution within your home, invest the time in setting up Family Sharing. It pays for itself in convenience. For quick recommendations or helping friends, the Share Sheet link is your best friend. And when you are the one moving to a new iPhone, trust your purchase history in the App Store to restore your digital toolkit.
Start by auditing the apps you most need to share. Then, pick the method that matches your relationship with the other iPhone user. With these official Apple pathways, you can spend less time managing apps and more time actually using them.
