The problem with this is that I use an iPhone/iPad/ and a MBP. My wife uses an iPhone with a PC. We share one apple ID for itunes music and app store purchases. If I turn these options off, I have to manually download these item to each of my devices instead of having them sync automatically from the cloud. Turning these options on would keep ALL the devices in sync. I do not want all the music/apps/books my wife has purchased on my devices but would still like to keep MY devices in sync.
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ALL Apps have to be bought multiple times now?
- Thread starter Skyzerox
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The problem with this is that I use an iPhone/iPad/ and a MBP. My wife uses an iPhone with a PC. We share one apple ID for itunes music and app store purchases. If I turn these options off, I have to manually download these item to each of my devices instead of having them sync automatically from the cloud. Turning these options on would keep ALL the devices in sync. I do not want all the music/apps/books my wife has purchased on my devices but would still like to keep MY devices in sync.
This is a perfect solution to this. I really hope this is how iCloud will work for families.
As someone said earlier in the post, you can use a different apple ID for the app store. I confirmed this on my beta device as I am in a very similar situation, too.
I find that you can use your regular apple account to sync calendar, music, bookmarks, contacts and the new reminder. But if you want to sync mails and notes, you have to create a new @me account.
So what I did was to use my regular apple account (@gmail) to use for the iTunes purchases (apps, music, movies, etc.) while I use my MobileMe account to sync the mails and notes. Everything works pretty well (except somehow my photostream isn't working...)
I find that you can use your regular apple account to sync calendar, music, bookmarks, contacts and the new reminder. But if you want to sync mails and notes, you have to create a new @me account.
So what I did was to use my regular apple account (@gmail) to use for the iTunes purchases (apps, music, movies, etc.) while I use my MobileMe account to sync the mails and notes. Everything works pretty well (except somehow my photostream isn't working...)
Because we don't want to have to buy a song FOUR times for the four folks in my house with an iPhone. Duh.
If I go to app store, top 25, scroll to bottom, I see my WIFE's Apple ID. Not Mine.
If I log out there, log back in with mine, then I have NO purchased apps etc. Because all the apps have been purchased under my wife's ID.
So the scare was that everyone would have to buy apps under their OWN ID was they set up the iCloud on their phone.
Adding to the scare was the fact that if you log out, and log in with another ID, and then log BACK in with the one under the iTunes store, it would get turned off for 90 days according to some screen shots floating around out there.
But evidently, it is confirmed that that is not the case.
Your iCloud and Game Center will can have your personal ID, while your App Store and iTunes can have the "master" ID that was used to buy the stuff.
songs is a bad example since they are DRM free so can be used on everything an unlimited amount of times, so you only need to buy it once and then it will still work on everything. but any songs I have got from itunes (free single of the week) I convert to mp3 as mp3 is much more useful to me, also itunes is expensive consider buying the music from amazon mp3, you will likely save a packet.
apps are the problem, although you can use apps from different apple IDs on one iDevice as long as your computer with itunes you use to sync the iDevice is authorised with all relevent Apple IDs.
Bookmarks and documents?
I really hope you are right about this. I read somewhere else that ONLY mail, contacts and calendar would sync with individual .me accounts. Everything else including music, apps, photostream, documents, bookmarks and read it later items would go through the master iTunes account. While I don't mind sharing the photostream with my wife I think bookmarks, read it later and especially documents are all personal. I don't want her bookmarks or Keynote presentations syncing to my account.
I just hope Apple get all of this stuff sorted out properly before going live in the fall.
I really hope you are right about this. I read somewhere else that ONLY mail, contacts and calendar would sync with individual .me accounts. Everything else including music, apps, photostream, documents, bookmarks and read it later items would go through the master iTunes account. While I don't mind sharing the photostream with my wife I think bookmarks, read it later and especially documents are all personal. I don't want her bookmarks or Keynote presentations syncing to my account.
I just hope Apple get all of this stuff sorted out properly before going live in the fall.
So what we've learned is that iOS 5 works wirelessly in the exact same way iOS 4 works with a cable. (Even including the part where you can set it to auto-download new apps or not.)
Both of you were relieved to find that iOS 5 does exactly what I currently do with iOS 4 and my wife's phone. We share an ID and don't have any of these problems you all are coming up with.
I'm just not sure why all the panic came up over the fact that they're removing the need for the USB cable. How do you deal with your Apple IDs today? Whatever it is you do, just keep doing that same thing in the future.
Jeeze what ever happened to "It just works!"
This thread is sure making it all sound VERY complicated.
I look at it this way (non technical point of view)........
Apple seems to have taken the approach that if you buy an app once (like the new Lion OS for example) you can load it on as many devices as you own. I cannot believe an app like "Angry Birds" is going to be any different.
That being said, I too share one ID with my wife and step daughter so we can buy an app once, and load it on all three of our devices. I also have MobileMe configured on mine and my wife's iPhone and I am able to select what to replicate (Calendar and Contacts) and what not to replicate (Bookmarks and e-mail) and I sure hope its the same in iOS 5 with the iCloud.
This thread is sure making it all sound VERY complicated.
I look at it this way (non technical point of view)........
Apple seems to have taken the approach that if you buy an app once (like the new Lion OS for example) you can load it on as many devices as you own. I cannot believe an app like "Angry Birds" is going to be any different.
That being said, I too share one ID with my wife and step daughter so we can buy an app once, and load it on all three of our devices. I also have MobileMe configured on mine and my wife's iPhone and I am able to select what to replicate (Calendar and Contacts) and what not to replicate (Bookmarks and e-mail) and I sure hope its the same in iOS 5 with the iCloud.
Where in iTunes do you do this?
I have authorized all of our computers, but where do you authorize other Apple ID's?
Because the understanding was that when you set up iCloud on your own device, you put your own Apple ID in, and it would then be the universal Apple ID for the device, rendering purchases from another ID useless.
Add to that the screen shots showing that Apple ID's can get suspended for 90 days if the device detects purchases on a different one.
That was the cause of the panic.
This is not true. With iOS5 any changes made to your iPhone get instantly updated on your iPad. Explain how cables perform this feat? (Not the instant part, but the mirroring of apps, songs, books, bookmarks, etc.)
Currently with cable syncing to iTunes, each device is unique by its device name. Therefore, you have to individually determine how you want each device to sync with your computer. With iOS5, the cloud is the hub, not the computer. To enable iCloud, Apple says use your Apple ID. If this turns out to be the Master Apple ID everyone in a family uses...big trouble is brewing.
I'd bet the farm Apple has a solution for households utilizing many different iDevices among family members. This would be bigger than antennae gate if everyone had to register a unique Master Apple ID and purchase all the media content seperately. Moreover, it would be a PR disaster if the wife's updated Keynote presentations kept getting sync'd over to my iPhone.
Not quite sure what all the fuss is about. My fiancee and I share an apple account for our iTunes purchases (music, apps, books, etc..). On iOS5, we are both using that ID for those purchases, and therefore are still both getting copies of everything the other person buys. At the same time, we're using our individual apple IDs for the rest of the iCloud syncing (backups, notes, reminders, etc..) so that this part is separate and unique for our own idevices. It was quite easy to setup, no need for panic.
Your answer is the Holy Grail to many in here worried about this situation (including me). MRs has over 10 threads on this issue alone. The concern comes from Apple using the verbage "use you Apple ID to sync all your devices." Well, with families we all use the same Apple ID.
Perhaps you wouldn't mind providing a detailed description of how you've been able to accomplish this? For me specifically, is your @me.com address your unique new Apple ID?
I think many in here would appreciate your time resolving their concerns.
Thanks for the information!
When my wife buys an app on her phone and plugs in it automatically copies to iTunes. When I then plug my phone in it automatically copies the new app to my phone.
It's all automatic in the same way...it just takes a few days instead of minutes. But it's the exact same principle.
Yes, it's just apps and not songs and books, but the point is that we're used to that workflow and if we didn't like it we'd turn it off. Same thing for iCould...either use it like we do now or turn it off.
I stand corrected! Obviously if you have iTunes set to automatically download all new apps, then yes...
I'm talking about families with different tastes in apps/songs, etc. Currently, my teenage daughter listens to stuff I'd classify as chaotic noise! I don't want this "automatically" downloaded onto my devices.
This is the source of the fear:
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/06/apples-goodies-fine-print
So I read this as my device can only be associated with HER Apple ID and not my own.
So what about iMessage and Game Center and Calendars and Contacts?
It sounds to me like if I want to have my own for that stuff, I could only switch to hers every three months to download any new Apps, OR, have my own account and have to buy the apps again.
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/06/apples-goodies-fine-print
So I read this as my device can only be associated with HER Apple ID and not my own.
So what about iMessage and Game Center and Calendars and Contacts?
It sounds to me like if I want to have my own for that stuff, I could only switch to hers every three months to download any new Apps, OR, have my own account and have to buy the apps again.
I'll try and explain a little better. I'm not even using my @me.com address, although it should work the same as a regular apple ID. I have three apple IDs. One is my developer account. One is my personal account now used for iCloud stuff (was what I used for purchases from the Apple store, not the iTunes store), and the third one was what my fiancee shared for iTunes purchases. She also has a personal apple account that she used for purchases from the Apple store (again, not the iTunes store).
During the setup, you are prompted to login with an apple ID for the iCloud portion (Mail, contacts, calendars, reminders, bookmarks, notes, photo stream, find my iphone, storage & backup ONLY) and you are also prompted for an apple ID for the iTunes store portion (which includes the iTunes music/video, book, and app store). My fiancee and I used our personal accounts for the iCloud login, enabling us to have individual reminders, contacts, calendars, backups, etc... We then used the shared account to login to the iTunes store services, which allows us to then share music, apps, books, etc.. ** Note, that you can turn off any one of the individual services; so if you want automatic book syncing but not music, you can do so. Same for calendars, contacts, etc...
As far as individual music song preferences, there is no fine grained control to say you want some music automatically sent to your iPhone, but not others. Right now, it seems that if you buy something, it is sent to the other devices configured to receive automatic purchases. When syncing with iTunes however, I have removed songs from my fiancee's phone which she does not like, and they do not reappear automatically. So your solution for now would be to remove the songs from your device if they are added and you do not care for them. Such fine grained syncing based on preferences in music may be possible in the future, but is not as of now.
As long as this stays true in the final release of iOS 5, I think everyone will be fine that is using a "family" Apple ID.
Thanks for the in depth explanation!
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iCloud syncing is Optional
iCloud syncing is Optional
iCloud syncing is Optional
get it? no?
iCloud syncing is Optional
iCloud syncing is Optional
iCloud syncing is Optional
get it? no?
iCloud syncing is Optional
Got it! However, Apple allows Home Sharing and recognizes families share content based upon a single Apple ID and a credit card.
No where in the keynote did they elaborate on how to get families on the Cloud as a unique subset of a Master Apple ID. If you didn't listen to the keynote, they mentioned they are moving away from the computer as the central hub in favor of the cloud.
I for one am impressed with the ability to have access to my stuff since I travel the world over. I'm also impressed that I now no longer have to wait until I get home to use the same song/app my family might have purchased while I was away (assuming I want it).
What I'm mainly concerned about is how the delineation will occur for mail, calendars, wireless syncing, etc. I don't want a change to one device to categorically apply to all devices.
Participating in these discussions is also optional.
This sounds great and is exactly how it should work. One question: is there anyway to share the photo stream with your wife using your setup? The photo stream is the one iCloud service I would like to share with the family.