“When you use Apple’s new multi-device download feature, you will be limited to a total of 10 devices and computers, each authorized with the same Apple ID,” Erica Sadun reports for TUAW. “What’s more, once a device or computer has been assigned to an Apple ID, it cannot be reassigned for 90 days.”
“Naturally, this is bad news for anyone who shares an iPhone or other iOS device with a loved one and who switches around the Apple ID accordingly,” Sadun reports. “Once an Apple ID is authorized for media downloads, that authorization is going to stick for a few months at least.”
Sadun reports, “At some point, Apple is going to have to start seriously re-evaluating how real life meets Apple ID accounts, in terms of separating data within a family.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Beyond that, where’s our Fast User Switching/Multiple Accounts for iOS, especially iPad – a device which tends to be shared often even though most people don’t want to hand their kids, friends, etc. their email, Facebook account, etc.? a href=”http://nowsci.com/userprofiles/” target=”_blank”>iOS Jailbreakers have it. With iPad, Fast User Switching/Multiple Accounts is arguably more important for iOS than it is for Mac OS X – plus it would allow for multiple Apple IDs to be easily used per device. So, where is it?
I also agree that multiple accounts on iOS would be a welcome addition.
I’m pretty sure it’s being worked on, it’s a no-brainer as far as I can tell.
A guest account would be indispensable.
Unless you make apps…. This model is built in piracy…
NO. What is needed is a return to iTunes library sharing. In my home we have 3 different iTunes accounts and before, using old Apple TV, we could all find each others music to listen to it. now with the new apple TV you can only do this if you are signed into the same iTunes account. Why in hell should we have to sign in and out on the Apple TV just to listen to our own music. Apple. Please bring back the shared library to the new Apple TV.
OK. I guess multiple accounts on a device would cure my rant but they should never have taken it away.
iUsers
Its in Cydia.
It works really well. Up to 5 seperate accts with individual settings/apps/etc. I set up one for myself, my wife, daughter, and a guest acct. No complaints.
Please, jailbreaking is just not practical for many of us. Going outside the system doesn’t solve the issues I have with the system.
I’m sorry.
I guess my post wasn’t intended for you and should have clarified it as such. For those that do have a Jailbroken iPad, iUsers is exactly what all these non jailbroken iDevice people are crying for. Its an excellent “tweak” for those iDevices that are.
A ten device is reasonable for all but the most rabid Apple fans, polygamists, and those families that didn’t use birth control
You forgot to mention the inbreed from The Hills Have Eyes. They might need up to twenty.
And you sir forgot to mention fanboys. Living in mom’s basement allows them to spend their allowance on many IOS devices. Not to mention sharing with all their gaming buddies. Fanboys, now there is a defense for birth control.
Not really. We have 5 in my family – 3 iPhones, 1 iPod touch, 2 iPads, 2 MacBook Pros, 3 iMacs. That’s 11, and the younger 2 kids will get iPhones once their phone contracts are up for renewal, and probably iPads as well. I’ve already run out of licenses, with 4-5 more devices on the way.
Bizlaw, right there with you: family of 5. 12 mac + IOS devices in total, which is 2 too many already I don’t see us going any direction but up.
However, I can’t think of a paid app we use that I would need to be installed on every one of those devices. That may be the saving grace for this policy.
At the same time, if there were an app that I needed on all 10, then I’d probably be OK with paying for a second license to cover devices 11-20. That would seem to me to be a reasonable approach
I make a communication app that families are using to send tasks and messages to each other…. And yes I want every copy on every device paid for… But there us a solution … Require a user account for every user through in app purchase …. Biztrax Mobile Task Tracker ..
Why not set additional Apple ID’s for the kids to allow for allowances and parental controls. Also helpful for the gift cards they get as gifts. Not to mention, they are going to leave home eventually.
The device limit is the lesser of the issues, the main point raised is that many apple devices are SHARED amongst family members, so a device needs to be usable on more than one account was the point I took from this.
Great MDN take – on the side of Apple’s customers. We need more of that from you.
Multiple user accounts on the iPad would be sweet.
Multiple accounts on iOS?
Sounds like a great feature for iOS 6. I can hardly wait…
Literally!!!!
Sorry to be off topic but wanted to provide some feedback
@Canadian Thomas
In order to maximize your use of the new Apple TV and it’s “sharing” features, every user on the home network has to be signed into the same account on “Home Sharing” in their iTunes library – this has NOTHING to do with purchasing music or anything else to do with your library – there is no need to “sign out” again – just set it up, put the same iTunes user ID into the Home Sharing section of the new Apple TV and “voila!” – all libraries of users (that have left their iTunes and iPhoto applications open) can be seen and accessed under “computers” in the Apple TV main menu.
Think of the chosen iTunes account that you use in all computers and Apple TV as the “main” account for this purpose – it doesn’t change the way you do anything else. If someone else comes over with their Mac or PC and wants to show you a movie they just posted in their iTunes library, just put them on your home sharing network.
Also – with “home sharing” turned on, you can see the libraries of other users in your household (left hand margin of the iTunes library) and drag and drop music, movies, apps etc. into your library.
Simple, easy and one step. No need to complicate it – MUCH better than it used to be!
Personally I’d like to see a guest account facility on iOS so you could at least have it as a communal device for controlling apple tv or casual web browsing.
No multiple iOS accounts, thanks; it’s fine the way it is. Besides, sharing an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch seems insane or unhealthy.
I got my iPad (1st gen), wife has her iPad (2nd gen), child has her iPod touch (4th gen), and…. no mess!
Good luck to you!
We have 6 iPads for instructors to check out in a dept of 45 faculty. Consecutive budget cuts over the past 5 years has us down to slices taking some bone. There is no possibility of not sharing the resources — we need accounts, at the least a guest account.
There are methods for education and enterprise to get around a ten device limit. And you mentioned six… That is less than 10.
I do like the idea of a guest account.
Two different issues. Multiple users on an iPad, good idea. 10 device limit? Why is this an issue. IPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, iMac that’s 4 devices. What else would you need? If you share an Apple ID, as I do, with a spouse or significant other that should still be enough for the 10 device max.
10 devices is a bit limiting, 4 in my family, 2 with desk top computers 2 with laptops and 1 extra laptop. 2 iPhones 2 iPads 2 iPods. Now what.
One other thing not mentioned by the story.
I travel internationally a great deal. There are many, many utilities for the iPhone and iPad that I need only available on off-shore iTunes stores. For example, I have a utility for the buses and subways in Sydney, Australia. Now I can’t download any updates to these, because I’m not allowed to switch my iTunes account to the one that I use in the Apple Australia store.
These utilities must be made universal across all the stores, or I need to be allowed to switch accounts “at will”.
Multiple iTunes accounts on one device?
Apple’s iTunes software team would have to implement a “List” pattern. That’s really hard to do. Plus.. Digital Equipment Corp has the software patent on the “List” from 1972.
OK.. seriously folks.. It’s called law.
Try explaining the concept of multiple iTunes account music/video on one iPad to a Sony or Universal exec and watch their heads explode in confusion..
Its the lawyers.. The only person who can talk to them is Steve. Lets hope He is talking with them..
I’ve had an ipod of some sort since they first came out. At the beginning of last year my family of 7 (kids ages 1, 10, 11, 11, 14) had 6 ipods of different types, all syncing to the family itunes account. In 2010 we aquired 3-4th generation ipod touches and an iMac. This year, we have aquired 3 Verizon iPhones, 2 Macbook Pros, a 2nd gen Apple TV and I just ordered a mac mini. There are 3 other Windows laptops in the house that I would like to replace with macs of some variety. We have over 10 iDevices and while the 10 device limit would be fine for my wife and I, when the kids are included it is just plain limiting. I have started buying Apple products for my family because Apple makes a good quality product and I don’t want to mess with another slow DELL in my household!
If Apple were to come out with a family itunes account with a master account login and some form of sub-account for the children, that would go a long way to solving a lot of the complaints that families have about having to share 1 account.
For example, It would be nice if the kids each had their own iTunes login and when they want to make a purchase it could be set to alert me first for approval. Being able to load their gift cards onto their sub-account is a great idea as well. Then I wouldn’t have to make the kid come to me to make the purchase as I don’t give them my password. Heck, I’d even be willing to pay a small fee or show proof of my children to be able to do this.
BTW, Contrary to what some have suggested above, I have a large family not because we’re inbred mutants, basement dwelling fanboys or don’t know anything about birth control – it’s because this is my second marriage and my wife wanted some kids of here own. LOL
There is a way to set up multiple ID’s now. But it is underutilized and complicated. I like the “Family Account” idea.
I don’t see this blunder lasting very long. Apple are going to be inundated with user complaints.
I emailed Apple over the weekend regarding similar issue. My partner and I have separate accounts and over the past 10 years together have spent over $1,500 at the iTunes stores. Of course, we would like to be able to have access to each others content, so I emailed Apple (knowing what the answer would be in advance) if we could combine our accounts/purchases into a new account. No dice. I got a very nice personal email from an Apple customer service rep. It was about 3 typewritten single-spaced pages long, offering so many work-arounds it made my head spin. I guess they are getting a lot of these kinds of inquiries.
Already bought my last iPad and iPhones 🙂