A shared grocery list means everyone in the house adds to the same list, and whoever is at the store sees all of it. In Grocery List, sharing goes through iCloud: there's no account to create, and the list stays in your own iCloud.

Sharing a list is part of Premium, a one-time purchase (one payment, no subscription). Only the person who shares the list needs Premium. The people they invite don't. The shared grocery list feature page has more on what sharing does.

1. Install Grocery List on each iPhone

Everyone who will use the list needs Grocery List from the App Store on their iPhone or iPad, and needs to be signed in to iCloud on that device.

2. Turn on iCloud Sync

Open the app and tap the gear in the top-right corner to open Settings. In the iCloud section, turn on iCloud Sync. Sharing needs it, because the shared list lives in iCloud.

3. Unlock Premium

If you haven't already, unlock Premium from Settings. If you try to share without it, the app asks you to unlock it first. Premium belongs to your Apple ID, so it works on every iPhone and iPad signed in with that Apple ID.

4. Invite people to your list

In the iCloud section of Settings, tap Manage participants. The Share your list sheet opens with three ways to invite someone:

  • Scan to join: they point their iPhone camera at the QR code on your screen. This is the easiest way when you're in the same room.
  • Copy Link: paste the link into any chat.
  • Share Link: send it straight from the iOS share sheet, with Messages, WhatsApp or email.

Anyone with the link can view and edit your list, so send it only to the people you want on it.

5. Open the invite on the other iPhone

The person you invited opens the link or scans the code, and the list opens in Grocery List on their iPhone. They should then turn on iCloud Sync in the app's Settings too, so the list keeps up to date on their phone. From then on you both see the same list. When someone adds an item, the others get a notification if the app isn't open (the app asks for permission the first time you share or join a list), and items checked off at the store are checked off for everyone.

Stop sharing or leave a list

  • If you shared the list: in Settings, tap Manage participants, then Stop Sharing. The others lose access to it.
  • If you joined someone else's list: in Settings, tap Leave Shared List. You stop getting updates from it on that device.

Only the person who shared the list can send new invites.

The free way: a shared list in Apple Reminders

If everyone in the house has an iPhone and you only need a plain list, Apple Reminders can share one at no cost:

  1. In Reminders, make a list and set its type to Groceries, so items are sorted into sections.
  2. Open the list's ⋯ menu and choose Share List, then send the invite with Messages or Mail.
  3. Once they accept, everyone can add and check off items.

Everyone needs an Apple Account with iCloud Reminders turned on. Reminders doesn't import recipes or read a photo of a paper list. See Grocery List vs Apple Reminders for the full comparison.

Good to know

  • One shared list per Apple ID. If your Apple ID already shares a list, stop sharing it before you accept someone else's invite.
  • No accounts. Nobody signs up or creates a password. Grocery List uses each person's Apple ID through iCloud.
  • Works offline. You can add and check off items without a connection, and the list catches up with iCloud when you're back online.