Mealime family sharing.

Which kind of sharing do you need?

Family sharing can mean a second person reading a recipe, two people working from one grocery list, separate dietary preferences, or access to a paid subscription. These solve different problems. Choose the one your household needs before changing accounts.

The Mealime routes come from its July 2019 sharing guide. Apple separately explains that not every app, subscription or in-app purchase supports Family Sharing.

Apple Family Sharing concerns purchase access.

To check an app, Apple directs you to its App Store page and the Supports section. A Family Sharing entry describes app eligibility; do not assume every subscription in that app is also shareable. The developer determines support. This is particularly relevant when choosing a replacement, because Mealime’s current closure notice makes Pro available to everyone and says existing subscribers will face no further subscription fees.

What Mealime’s support pages actually describe.

Mealime’s multi-user article, updated 19 May 2019, describes signing into the same Mealime account on each person’s device. It does not describe invitations, independent member profiles or separate preference sets. Its age matters: it is documentation of a workaround, not evidence of today’s update speed or conflict handling.

1. Agree which existing account contains the household plan you intend to use.
2. If either person has a separate collection, save the recipes and notes they want before changing their sign-in. Do not expect two collections to merge.
3. Following the documented workaround, sign into that agreed Mealime account on both devices.
4. Before shopping, compare the meal titles, serving counts and grocery items. Agree whose dietary requirements the shared plan must meet.

For just one dish, the 29 July 2019 guide documents the iOS route: open a recipe from the meal plan, favourites or builder preview, then tap More → Share. That section is specifically for iOS. Sending a recipe is also different from sending someone the app’s download link.

Agree who owns the next action.

A useful household rule is to hand over one finished list before the shopping starts. Here is an example for a three-dinner week; these are suggested responsibilities, not extra app features.

If two people use the same account, coordinate any password reset or deletion request. One person’s account change may affect the other person’s access. Keep each person’s favourite dishes and personal notes in the backup inventory. See the deletion guide before removing a household account.

Run a two-phone test before switching.

1. Add a small test plan on the first device.
2. Open it on the second and verify the meals and servings.
3. Add one ordinary extra grocery item, such as washing-up liquid.
4. Check off one ingredient on the shopping device.
5. Look at the other device and confirm what changed.
6. Decide how you will handle edits made while someone is already shopping.

Use a throwaway test item so you do not accidentally mark a real purchase as complete. Check whether both people need paid access and whether they can use different phone platforms. Do not infer a household subscription from an app’s generic sharing icon. Record any step that requires a screenshot, message or manual refresh.

A simple shared plan can bridge the move.

To use the documented print route, sign into Mealime’s web app, open Meal Plan → Grocery List, scroll to the bottom and select the printer icon. Print the list or choose PDF in the print dialog. These are the steps in the July 2019 guide. Date the copy and let one shopper mark it; later edits to Mealime do not rewrite that file.

Mealime closes on 21 October 2026. Its catalogue continues in free Meals Hub through Albertsons Companies apps and websites, including recipes, plans and lists without a nearby store. The official notice says some preferences and settings must be established there directly; it does not promise a transfer of the household’s private account. Save your familiar dishes and agreed portions together. Our planning guide helps rebuild the food list; the switch checklist keeps the move in order.

What to check when considering MealPot.

We make MealPot. For a household that needs two people to edit a plan, confirm that exact collaboration and any purchase-sharing entitlement before choosing it. This guide does not establish separate household accounts or shared subscriptions for MealPot.

The free website backup tool can help either person retain an accessible recipe without an account. It produces a separate TXT or JSON download; it does not transfer a shared Mealime account or automatically combine two people’s favourites. Compare other approaches in the alternatives guide.