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Apple Working on Allowing the Merging of Multiple Apple IDs

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Apr 12, 2001
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MacRumors has learned that Apple is working on a process to merge multiple Apple IDs into a single login. The issue of juggling multiple Apple ID logins has been a minor inconvenience in the past, but with the early developer testing of iOS 5 and iCloud, users have found it to be a major issue.

TUAW described the problem back in July, and the answer at that time was that there was no way to consolidate Apple IDs:
Some readers have been managing two Apple IDs on purpose and are now frustrated about the fact that Apple is restricting logins for automatic downloads. Others have only just discovered that they have two IDs. Most of them have already contacted Apple, only to be given the same answer without exception: Apple will not consolidate Apple ID accounts.
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MobileMe users especially have found that they now have at least two Apple IDs, their original one and their MobileMe account. Juggling multiple logins while using Apple's Automatic Downloads can be a particular chore since you can't easily switch between logins. Apple locks devices to a single Apple ID for 90 days, preventing any rapid switching between accounts.

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Apple has provided no official guidance on the issue, except to state that Apple IDs can not be consolidated at this time.

MacRumors reader Robert emailed Tim Cook about the issue, and quickly received a phone call from an Apple executive relations employee. She had spoken to the team responsible for Apple IDs and acknowledged that they understood the issue and that more people would run into the problem with iCloud. She also repeated that there is no way yet to combine accounts but revealed they are working on it. In the meantime, she recommended picking a single account to plan on keeping indefinitely and to make all future purchases on that account.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook has been particularly responsive to customer emails and inquiries. In a previous example, a user emailed Cook about iTunes Match availability in Canada. That user got a quick reply from Apple's Senior Vice President for Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue. Apple has announced it will be launching iCloud and iOS 5 to users "this fall".

Article Link: Apple Working on Allowing the Merging of Multiple Apple IDs
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/16/apple-working-on-allowing-the-merging-of-multiple-apple-ids/
Good

I'm glad they're working on this. It'll be useful for many people... and it's about time too!

EDIT - I wonder if they'd ever also set up a system where you could also have multiple accounts linked together... like an umbrella account with sub-accounts. I think it would be useful for families, where the spouses and kids would have separate but linked accounts... I don't know, I think that might be useful in some scenarios... maybe?
 
For the record, I have @mac.com and @me.com, and whether I'm using iCloud, iTunes, or whatever...it does NOT matter which ID I use.

Its one account. Just two different ways to login. If you're a MobileMe member, and the above is You Too, don't fret.
 
It is about time they sorted this out. Having to constantly switch between IDs, especially when doing something such as updating or downloading a free application, is very frustrating.
 
This would make me a very happy man, no more juggling with 2 accounts! ..
 
I can finally switch over to my @me.com email address permanently. Thank all that is good!
 
about frickin time... sheesh. I got 54 apps on my iPhone that need updating but it's not worth the hassle trying to figure out all the different ID's I've purchased them with. I just end up giving up in frustration when it keeps asking for multiple ID's and then needing credit card info cause I signed in using my iPhone instead of my iPad.
 
I have one Apple ID from well before iPhone.

I have another established when the App Store launched.

I have a MobileMe that I let expire and now an iCloud.

That's four ID's that all have redundant information.
 
pmz said:
For the record, I have @mac.com and @me.com, and whether I'm using iCloud, iTunes, or whatever...it does NOT matter which ID I use.

Its one account. Just two different ways to login. If you're a MobileMe member, and the above is You Too, don't fret.
Click to expand...

You know, I don't think this is what people are complaining about.

@mac to @me are both owned by Apple, so it's pretty understandable that they allow both IDs to be used, if you ask me.

However, like me, I think people have multiple accounts from the time they first signed up with MobileMe without having an @mac ID. Apple didn't allow you to merge MobileMe with your existing ID, so you were forced to end up with two accounts after signing up = stupid, stupid, stupid!

And now with iCloud and reports coming in of more cluttering with IDs I'm not looking forward to this unless Apple will allow merging of all my accounts to one single @me.com ID.

That's my two cents :)
 
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I have my apple id which have all of my apps and movies etc, I have a mobile me account(which will link to icloud)
I also manage accounts for my brothers iTunes account, and my mums.

So this will be useful for me, if it happens.

One of my best friends, has a UK account and a NZ account, with apps from both. And he's been wanting to merg his accounts. So he's keen for this to happen
 
Problem Statement

Some of us have had :apple: accounts long enough to just have the ones that are username only plus username@mac.com, I am one of those people. I didn't realize there was a difference and ended up with two iTunes accounts. I now have to switch between them to update apps, and it's a royal PITA.

I asked a long time ago, and Apple said not so much, so I have a significant investment in both accounts, but have focused on one. There's no reason they can't merge username and username@mac.com.
 
TBRO said:
You know, I don't think this is what people are complaining about.

@mac to @me are both owned by Apple, so it's pretty understandable that they allow both IDs to be used, if you ask me.

However, like me, I think people have multiple accounts from the time they first signed up with MobileMe without having an @mac ID. Apple didn't allow you to merge MobileMe with your existing ID, so you were forced to end up with two accounts after signing up = stupid, stupid, stupid!

And now with iCloud and reports coming in of more cluttering with IDs I'm not looking forward to this unless Apple will allow merging of all my accounts to one single @me.com ID.

That's my two cents :)
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I gotcha, it's hard for me to remember sometimes that not all Apple IDs are Apple-issued e-mail addresses, since that's all I've ever had. Its often been a nuisance just having @mac and @me ever since MobileMe came out....but the way iCloud works it sees those at one account, everything linked, iTunes purchases to email to everything. That is at least a relief.

But Apple really does need to fix this issue for people with i.e.: an old yahoo email address as their iTunes store account, and me.com email.
 
I have a question, they may or may not be answerable by devs due to NDA.

I was one of the fortunate ones who was able to have my mobile me email <name>@me.com also be my AppleID. I let my MobileMe account lapse prior to iCloud, but still use that email to purchase from iTunes and AppStore. When iCloud launches, will I be able to retain that email and continue to also use it as my AppleID?
 
Honey Badger normally doesn't give a s*** about his 2 Apple IDs, but this problem has been around forever so Honey Badger is very happy that somebody is finally working to resolve this issue. Gotta go, larva.
 
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I called Apple about this a while back and, after some bitching and moaning and bouncing around, was told that it's the app developers that are the road block to merging accounts. Not sure why, just what I was told.

This won't help with iCloud and the auto downloads, but I've made my existing struggles with two accounts much more bearable by giving them the same password. Now, whenever the iTunes password box pops up I don't have to think about it AND... when I have apps from both accounts that need updating, I enter my password once and everything updates.
 
I have so many accounts it makes my eyes spin sometimes. I would love to see this happen. I mean it can't be that hard to merge accounts!
 
sailnavy said:
Some of us have had :apple: accounts long enough to just have the ones that are username only plus username@mac.com, I am one of those people. I didn't realize there was a difference and ended up with two iTunes accounts. I now have to switch between them to update apps, and it's a royal PITA.

I asked a long time ago, and Apple said not so much, so I have a significant investment in both accounts, but have focused on one. There's no reason they can't merge username and username@mac.com.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's exactly my issue. This has been driving me nuts! Hope it happens quickly.
 
isoMorpheus said:
How is this true?
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Back in the day when you signed up for a .Mac account, it by default, became an Apple ID, even if you already had an iTunes account with hundreds of purchases.

I'm in that boat.

My choice right now is to:

A) Give up my iTunes account and lose all of my music and movies (and the Apps I developed under that account) and stick with my MobileMe Apple ID

B) Give up my MobileMe account, and getting new email addresses for my family (yeah, I have a family MobileMe account that provides email addresses calendars, and storage/iDisk for me, my wife, and my son.) and start over from scratch.

Apple created this problem by not letting .Mac users use their existing accounts when they signed up for .Mac.

The second problem I have, is that my MobileMe account is a Family account with multiple email addresses, calendars, and storage space.

How does that map onto an iCloud account? As MobileMe is our main web service for mail, calendars, etc, I haven't been willing to risk losing it through migrating to the beta of iCloud.

I probably will hold off on using iCloud for real until this issue is resolved.
 
Number of computers restriction...

they need to get rid of 5 "Computers" restriction, it was mainly for this reason why people choose to have (and still have) multiple apple id's.
 
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