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Are "iCloud" and "iTunes Store" accounts separate?

Flake

Flake

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2010
213
4
Or is "iCloud" bundled up with the "iTunes Store" part? Could you create a new iCloud account, and then change the email address for your old "iTunes Store" account to match the new iCloud account's email address, to "transfer" all of your iTunes purchases?
 
P

pdjudd

macrumors 601
Jun 19, 2007
4,037
65
Plymouth, MN
iTunes accounts and iCloud accounts are distinct entities. I have both and they utilize different usernames and there is no way to join them.

I believe iTunes Match is considered part of iCloud but it is tied to your iTunes account.
 
Weaselboy

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,137
15,602
California
Flake said:
Or is "iCloud" bundled up with the "iTunes Store" part? Could you create a new iCloud account, and then change the email address for your old "iTunes Store" account to match the new iCloud account's email address, to "transfer" all of your iTunes purchases?
Click to expand...

They are separate and if you try what you described you will get an error message telling you that email address is already in use on another account. Still no way to "merge" these accounts. I share your frustration.
 
mmomega

mmomega

macrumors demi-god
Dec 30, 2009
3,879
2,089
DFW, TX
You can have both, if you ever notice while settings up a ML to Mavericks Mac or late iOS 6 to 7 devices, it asks if you want to use separate AppleID's for iCloud and iTunes.

My wife and I share an iTunes/App Store account across our phones and iPads so we aren't repurchasing the same items and we use separate iCloud emails everything else that deals with iCloud.

It works out great this way for us.
 
Flake

Flake

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2010
213
4
Weaselboy said:
They are separate and if you try what you described you will get an error message telling you that email address is already in use on another account. Still no way to "merge" these accounts. I share your frustration.
Click to expand...

What if you change the email address for the iTunes Store account first, and then try to create an iCloud account with the new/updated email?
 
Flake

Flake

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2010
213
4
Weaselboy said:
Nope... same issue. It will tell you that address is already being used.
Click to expand...

Hmm, so that means you would be stuck with an iTunes Store account without being able to use iCloud with it (for automatic downloads and such).
 
Weaselboy

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,137
15,602
California
Flake said:
Hmm, so that means you would be stuck with an iTunes Store account without being able to use iCloud with it (for automatic downloads and such).
Click to expand...

You would still be stuck with both with separate user accounts like now. there just is no way around it at this point.
 
R

Rigby

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2008
6,222
10,168
San Jose, CA
Flake said:
Hmm, so that means you would be stuck with an iTunes Store account without being able to use iCloud with it (for automatic downloads and such).
Click to expand...
No. Both accounts would include both iTunes and iCloud. You cannot create an "iTunes only" account, since the new Apple ID will automatically also be valid for all other iCloud services. And no, there is currently no way to merge two accounts or transfer purchases.
 
Flake

Flake

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2010
213
4
What if you create a new "Apple ID" and, via the iTunes application, change your iTunes account's Apple ID to the new one?
 
Weaselboy

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,137
15,602
California
Flake said:
What if you create a new "Apple ID" and, via the iTunes application, change your iTunes account's Apple ID to the new one?
Click to expand...

Nope... it would show as "in use". Trust me, I want the same thing you do and I have farted around for hours trying to work around this and it just can't be done at this point until Apple does something to allow us to "merge" these accounts. :(
 
R

randian

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2014
784
362
Which they aren't going to do because they're either lazy or incompetent. Whoever designed their database in such a way as to prevent such changes was an idiot.
 
Flake

Flake

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2010
213
4
What if you change the Apple ID/email address to an email address that's not affiliated with any Apple services?!?! :confused:
 
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