How to set up a family payment method for Google Family Link without an Android phone?

Question

How to set up a "family payment method" for Google Family Link without Android phone, in practise either web/computer or iPhone?

I have a following Google Family Link setup:

• My Google account working as an family manager
• Google Family Link (parent application) installed to my iPhone
• Children's Google accounts tied to the family as family members

I'd like to set up a family payment method so that we can buy some Google Play app from Play store.

I found for some instructions at e.g. Use a family payment method on Google Play / Add a family payment method but so far everything seems to assume that I would have Google Play app on Android.

I couldn't find anything related to family at Google Play (web) / Payments and subscriptions.

When trying to add a payment method on my kid's Play store, I get an error ("This isn't available for this kind of account").

I tried also buying a Play store gift card and using it at kid's Play store but that wasn't allowed, I got some message about using a family payment method instead.

UPDATE: I worked this around by getting an Android device to use temporarily and setting up the family payment method with that. If you have some other solution, please share here for others.

Answer 1

It seems like you have to enable the Google Play Family Library from the family settings.

Go to https://myaccount.google.com/family/details

And activate the Google Play Store Family Library (might work with directly navigating to https://play.google.com/store/family/create)

In the process of activating the library you can select a payment method.

After that is done, a new link "Change family payment method" / "Familienzahlungsmethode ändern" appears under the Play Store Payment Methods: https://play.google.com/store/paymentmethods

Other helpful resources:

• https://support.google.com/googleplay/thread/9850356/google-family-payment-method-not-available?hl=en
• https://support.google.com/families/answer/7007852?hl=en
• https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6294544?hl=en#zippy=%2Cadd-a-family-payment-method

Some search keywords:

• Add google play family payment methods from iPhone
• Add google play family payment moethod without Android device or Google Play app