You’re paying for the family plan. It’s $22.99 a month, or maybe you’re on an older legacy rate, but either way, you’re shelling out the cash so your inner circle doesn't have to watch those unskippable 30-second ads for laundry detergent. But honestly? Figuring out how to add people to YouTube Premium feels way more complicated than it actually needs to be. Google doesn't make it intuitive. You’d think there would be a giant "Add Friend" button right on the home screen, but instead, it’s buried under layers of account settings and Google Family Group hierarchies.
It’s annoying. I get it.
The biggest hurdle isn't even the tech; it's the specific rules Google enforces behind the scenes. If you don't follow them, you'll get those cryptic error messages about "different countries" or "already in a family group" that make you want to throw your phone across the room.
The Reality of the Family Manager Role
Before you start sending out invites, you have to understand that you aren't just "sharing a password." This isn't Netflix in 2015. To learn how to add people to YouTube Premium, you have to accept your new identity as a "Family Manager."
Only one person can be the boss.
As the manager, you’re the one whose credit card gets hit every month. You’re also the only one who can invite or kick people out. You can have up to five other family members on your plan, bringing the total to six people. They all get their own private YouTube account—no, they won't see your weird late-night search history for "how to fix a leaky faucet"—but they do have to live in the same household.
Google is pretty strict about that "same household" bit. They use periodic IP check-ins to make sure everyone is actually living where they say they are. If your cousin in another state tries to join, it might work for a week, and then suddenly, they’re back to seeing ads. It’s a common pain point.
Starting the Invite Process
Ready? Grab your phone or sit at your desk.
- Open the YouTube app. Tap your profile picture. It’s usually in the bottom right or top right depending on which update Google pushed last night.
- Hit Purchases and memberships.
- You’ll see your Premium membership there. Tap on it.
- Look for Edit next to Family sharing settings.
This is where the magic (or the headache) happens. If you haven't set up a Google Family Group yet, it’ll prompt you to do that first. This is basically a container for all things Google—shared calendars, YouTube, Google One storage. Once that’s live, you just hit the plus sign or the "Invite family member" button.
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Type in their email.
Now, here is the part where most people mess up. You must use their Gmail address. If you try to send it to a work email or a Yahoo account, it usually ends in a loop of broken links and frustration. Tell your friend to check their promotions folder. For some reason, Google’s own invites often end up in the "social" or "promotions" tab of Gmail, hidden away like junk mail.
Why Your Invites Keep Failing
Sometimes you send the invite, and your friend says, "I clicked it, but it says I can't join."
There are usually three reasons for this. First, they might already be part of another Google Family Group. Google has a strict "one family at a time" rule. If they’re sharing a Google One storage plan with their parents, they have to leave that group before they can join your YouTube Premium empire.
Second, the "12-month rule" is a killer. You can only switch family groups once every 12 months. If your buddy was on their ex's plan, left it, joined a friend's plan, and then tried to join yours all in the same year? They’re locked out. They’ll have to wait.
Third—and this is the most common one—is the location mismatch.
Google checks the home address associated with the Google Pay profile. If your "Family Manager" account is set to the United States and your friend once set their account to the UK to get a specific app, the invite will fail. They have to go into their Google Pay settings and ensure their "Home" country matches yours exactly.
Managing Your Group Without the Drama
Once everyone is in, you might think you’re done. But being a manager means knowing how to kick people out, too. Maybe a roommate moves out. Maybe you realize your brother-in-law hasn't paid you his share in six months.
To remove someone, you go back to that same Family sharing settings menu. Tap their name. Hit Remove member.
They’ll lose access instantly.
It's worth noting that when you're figuring out how to add people to YouTube Premium, you should also mention to them that this includes YouTube Music. A lot of people forget that. They go out and pay for Spotify separately when they’ve already got a massive library included in the family plan you’re paying for.
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The Privacy Concern
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: privacy.
When you add someone to your family plan, they are not seeing your emails. They are not seeing your photos in Google Photos unless you specifically create a shared album. The only thing you share is the subscription and the payment method for "Family Library" purchases (like movies or books), though you can set it up so that every purchase requires your approval.
Each person has their own algorithmic bubble. Your "Recommended" feed remains yours. If you love 8-hour video essays about defunct theme parks, that won't bleed over into your teenager's feed of Minecraft speedruns.
Technical Checklist for a Smooth Setup
If you want this to work on the first try, run through this mental list before you even open the app:
- Does everyone have a standard Google account? (Workspace/G-Suite accounts for businesses usually don't work).
- Is everyone over 13? (Under 13 requires a parentally managed "Family Link" account).
- Are you actually on the Family Plan? If you're on the individual $13.99 plan, you won't see the option to add people. You'll have to upgrade first.
The upgrade process is pro-rated. If you’re halfway through your month on an individual plan, Google will usually charge you the difference to jump to Family immediately. It’s pretty seamless.
Fixing the "Not in the Same Country" Error
This is the boss fight of learning how to add people to YouTube Premium.
If your invitee gets a "not in the same country" error, have them go to pay.google.com. Tell them to look at their "Settings" and check the "Country/Region." If it’s wrong, they might need to close that payment profile and start a new one, but that can be risky if they have a balance or active subscriptions.
A simpler fix? Sometimes it's just a VPN issue. If they have a VPN turned on and set to another country when they click the "Accept Invite" link, Google will flag it. Tell them to turn off the VPN, use their home Wi-Fi, and try again.
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Taking Action
Don't just sit there paying for five empty slots.
Open your YouTube app right now and check your membership status. If you've been putting it off because it seemed like a chore, just remember the Gmail rule. Use the right email, make sure they aren't in another group, and you'll have the whole house ad-free in about three minutes.
Verify your own billing address in Google Pay before sending invites to ensure your "Home Location" is set correctly. If you're the manager, your address is the "truth" that everyone else's account is measured against. Once that's solid, send the emails, tell your friends to check their "Promotions" folder, and enjoy the silence of an ad-free experience.