“The other day, I read yet another story about a lingering Apple problem, the inability to merge that dreaded Apple ID with another in your household or business. Certainly the problems are obvious: Licensed content purchased under one Apple ID doesn’t work when you login with another,” Gene Steinberg writes for The Tech Night Owl. “This is particularly true of movie downloads, since the Hollywood entertainment moguls insist that you cannot be trusted.”
“The Apple ID problem is understandable. You set up a new Mac, iPhone or iPad, and you just cannot remember your login info. So you create a new account,” Steinberg writes. “After a few years, you have several. Or perhaps another family member sets up their own account, and soon it gets complicated.”
“I cannot tell you how many times I’ve helped a friend or client in just this situation. The setup assistant requests the Apple ID, and I get a questioning look. Is it written down somewhere? What Apple ID do you use on your other Apple gadget? In the end, they might find one of many, or just start from scratch with a new Apple ID, although I strongly recommend against it,” Steinberg writes. “True, they could contact Apple and try to recover an older Apple ID, but that’s hit or miss.”
“Apple’s solution is no solution. You cannot merge the accounts and simplify your life,” Steinberg writes. “For me, I still have an Apple ID representing an email address I haven’t used in over a decade. I keep the domain and the address active for one reason: Apple.”
Read more in the full article here.
Then don’t be a douche and create multiple accounts. It’s not Apple’s responsibility to fix “lazy” or “stupid”. I would never forget my Apple ID password. I use it several times per day.
Or, maybe you don’t know all the possibilities. I personally would never create a second Apple ID for myself, based on how things work TODAY, although some people don’t realize what a bad idea that is.
Oh, wait, I’m a long-time Apple customer and had an iTools account that became a .Mac account that became a .Me account that became a MobileMe account that I only used for syncing, not email. Sometime during then the iTunes Store came into existence and I used my own email account for it, since it was not consolidated with whatever iTools happened to be named at the time. When Apple consolidated everything, they didn’t make any good clean way for long-term customers to combine their multiple accounts (multiple because that’s how APPLE had made things – separate accounts for separate services). Your dismissive rude comment is unfair.
Basically, Apple’s whole attitude as far as customers has been a focus on making things easy for users. This inability to clean up ancient accounts goes strongly against that customer focus. It’s an embarrassing anomaly.
What multiple accounts?
I’ve had the same email address (and Apple ID) since Jan 5th, 2000 when iTools was first introduced. They are both still XXXXX@mac.com as is my iTunes account.
When it switched to MobileMe, it was still XXXXX@mac.com, and aliased as XXXXX@me.com.
After it switched to iCloud, it still remained XXXXX@mac.com, plus XXXXX@me.com, and also XXXXX@icloud.com
I never had to recreate or change anything.
Apple IDs existed long before the year 2000, and they weren’t always required to be email addresses. Today, *all* Apple IDs must be email addresses. Those of us with Apple IDs that weren’t email addresses were forced to create new email-based Apple IDs. Apparently this point is completely lost on you.
No, it is not lost on me. I understand that Apple ID’s were not always email addresses, they were used to sign into their Online Store, their developer website, etc… I know this as I used a username, not an email address, to sign into both.
I’m just curious… when exactly were you forced to create a new email-based Apple ID because you couldn’t use your old one? The iTunes Store?
When you were NOT an Apple Faithful, and you CONVERTED to Apple………………
Apple and it’s faithful are always pushing for people to leave Windows/Android and become a Mac person, but think that once they do.. they will throw away ALL past purchases they made when they were a PARTIAL Apple person. (Windows user with iTunes for Windows and an iPod)
THOSE iTunes accounts can never be merged with iCloud accounts.
Just cause you are not affected, doesn’t mean that nobody is. Or that you can *easily* come up with a solution in 10 seconds. It’s at least a 10+ year issue that Apple just won’t deal with.
I have to say I never changed anything either I have had the same apple id since iTools too.
I have to partially agree with the article and the problem.
Super longtime Apple guy here, I ended up with several, and it wasn’t my clear choice, it was, for one example, due to MobileMe going defunct.
However, as of a year or more ago, I got Apple on the phone, and he merged all accounts into just two: a Gmail account is used for iTunes and App Store (purchasing stuff). A me.com account is used for iCloud and AppleCare/registrations. Voilah.
It works fine for me and I recommend trying that to anyone with this problem. Two Apple IDs is not that big a deal, and separating the purchase activities from the iCloud stuff has some advantages.
Same here. Have two accounts, one for iTunes/AppStore and a personal one as every family member does. Every family member then “joins” the iTunes/AppStore account or our family account that’s only used for purchasing stuff.
If any family member buys anything or f ex just rents a film, then he/she buys some iTunes gift card and redeems it in our “family account” and everyone can share and enjoy :-). I don’t connect my credit card directly to that account, you buy iTunes gift cards and redeem them, to load the account.
Any problem with that? Yes, a minor one, the younger ones always get you to pay for them.
I guess allowing Apple to force me to create a brand-new email-address-based AppleID for iCloud, despite the fact that I already had a username-based AppleID somehow makes me “lazy” or “stupid” in your world. I suppose I should have somehow prevented Apple from doing this to me. Please do enlighten us as to what we should have done differently!
When did Apple force you to do this? I’ve been using the same AppleID since iTools, thru .Mac, thru MobileMe and now in iCloud. Over 14 years and Apple has never FORCED me to change anything. I still use the same @mac.com email address.
When you NEVER had a mac, BUT had an iTunes account…
Then got MobileMe etc. and was then FORCED to have two accounts…
I see the confusion… You are required (not forced) to have two accounts if you do not want to use the email address from your iTunes account as your AppleID for Apple’s online services.
However, your iTunes account can remain completely separate of your AppleID (iCloud) account. They do not need to be the same. One is for Apple’s services, the other is for purchasing content.
no.. I WANT to have them the same address… Apple will NOT allow me to do so.
Ah, and I assume you’ve purchased content using the MobileMe account?
nope. Every last purchase is on the NON mobile me account.
but since apple AUTOMATICALLY created an iTunes account with MobileMe accounts… is is impossible to merge, impossible to delete.
Thus 2 iTunes accounts. 1 I purchase stuff with, the other I do not, but it’s *also* tied with my iCloud account.
If Apple would allow a non could account to MERGE with an existing iCloud account.. most of the complaints about the ID’s would go away.
Many people have an iTunes account, but do not have any Mac/iOS devices. The Apple faithful convince them to ditch the Android/Windows PC… and Buy an iPhone/Mac. Great right? except with Apple’s BS terms… they create an AppleID for iCloud now… which *CAN’T* have an existing iTunes account Merge with it.
2 iTunes/AppleID accounts.
If all you have ever been is an Apple customer… having everything tied to one iTunes account has pretty much always been the norm.
*BUT* if you switched to Apple… you’re screwed if you ever had a windows based iTunes account. Any “convert” to the Apple ecosystem pretty much ends up with two (or more) accounts.
(Apple may have let merges happen waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back before MobileMe began.. but ever since MobileMe dropped, you can’t)
@Backlash…
Why don’t you just create a new iCloud account using your iTunes account name? And delete the old iCloud account?
An iCloud account should be fairly easy to recreate. Sync everything to your Mac. Create a new account using the same email address as your iTunes account. Sync from your Mac to iCloud.
“they create an AppleID for iCloud now… which *CAN’T* have an existing iTunes account Merge with it.”
From Apple’s website…
“enter the Apple ID you use for iTunes in the setup screens. It will be used for Store purchases and iCloud.”
Here’s a link…
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4895
I have everything under one account. I’m one of those long time users as most of you know.
Yes, I have more than one Apple account for specific reasons not relating to the issue at hand.
Yet, ALL of my Apple related operations (purchases [both App store and iTunes], developer account and email traffic) are done through a single account. I even have multiple email addresses in that one account, but the main account is under the single, main email address for that account. Even certain members of my family have their own email addresses under that account and still use the main AppleID under that same account when it is appropriate for them to do so.
Please explain to me how “Apple will not allow” you to put everything under a single account and single email address as I have done. Clearly it is possible since I have done it. Why is it impossible for you?
“Apple IDs cannot be merged. You should use your preferred Apple ID from now on, but you can still access your purchased items such as music, movies, or software using your other Apple IDs.”
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5622?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
“This includes many MobileMe users who have always had difficulties as they were forced to use more than one Apple ID, because on signing-up to the MobileMe service a new Apple ID was automatically created using the me.com email address being created at the time, meaning users could not change their previous Apple ID email address to be their me.com email address, and has always remained so. Apple does not permit different accounts to be merged.[9]
Apple does not support the merging of Apple IDs with other Apple IDs or with AOL IDs created as an Apple ID.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppleID
Need more explanation?
@Backlash…
You are correct, they cannot be merged, but you can create a new iCloud account using the same account name as your iTunes account. Then simply delete (not use) your old iCloud account.
With MobileMe you absolutely could NOT do this. MobileMe was pretty much a disaster from the get go. I guess I coasted past all the issues since I was a previous customer.
By virtue of the fact there is this much discussion on a topic so basis there is a problem. Apple has told me twice now two id’s and can’t be changed. I guess you are special or tech support at Apple is lame as ever. Either way there is a problem.
@Michael
YOU don’t get it…
when you create ANY new AppleID from MobileMe forward… it AUTOMATICALLY links the AppleID to iTunes. so yes.. I *could* create a 3rd…………….. AppleID, but I still have the inability to F’N MERGE the accounts.
There is NO POSSIBLE way to take my past purchases on Account #1 to ANY other AppleID.
Read the Apple page I linked. I’ve even called Apple Support a few years ago to try and get around this, they won’t do it.
I can’t even add the first accounts email to the iCloud account cause it’s already linked to iTunes and you can’t have two iTunes accounts on a single AppleID.
Remember any MobileMe account was changed to an iCloud account, your idea will change nothing cause i’m already beyond your solution.
As it is right now with Apple, purchases from an existing iTunes account created way back in 2003 can *never* be transferred to any *new or existing* iCloud account.
Period.
Thats Apple’s stance, thats where the complaints are coming from.
Anyone who ever created and used an iTunes account WITHOUT it being already attached to an @mac/@me/@icloud etc account (Namely ANY windows based iTunes accounts, which face it FAR out number those that have always been Mac only accounts) have the multiple account issue, or they abandoned the first one and started using the 2nd.
Which I would… If I didn’t have all the purchases for iOS on them. Movies/TV/Music/books can be easily obtained and imported, iOS apps without Jailbreaking.. can’t.
Nobody is contesting the fact that you can have multiple Apple IDs. You seem to be unaware that for many of us who have been Apple customers longer than a minute, Apple IDs started out as _usernames_ – not email addresses. Later, when me.com/iCloud came along, Apple forced those of us who wanted to use it to create new iCloud email-based IDs. That means those of us who have had Apple IDs for a long time now have more than one – not of our choosing. That means all of the activity (purchases, and so on) associated with the old account are separate from any activity on the other account. There is no confusion on our parts. We simply want a way to merge them into one account.
This is where you lose me… How far back are you talking? I signed up for an Apple ID when iTools first came available (Jan-2000), more than 3 years before the iTunes Store even opened. (I don’t quite remember but, my Apple ID may have been created even earlier to purchase stuff from their online store.)
It doesn’t matter when it happened – it happened. And creating yet another account as you suggest isn’t a solution – it only makes matters worse.
You may have signed up for an Apple ID using an email address but many others initially set up their Apple IDs with just a username, not a full email address (I don’t know when Apple started requiring email addresses for IDs). If one initially just used a username then there is no way to use that ID for a new iCloud account as today Apple requires an email address, not just a username.
So in your world someone who gets married is a douche? It really IS Apples problem because stuff in life happens – families merge and split and so should accounts. This is even a problem when people die – so try not to be such an ass about it, oh, and congrats for having a great memory and never forgetting you password.
Marriage, Exactly. One of the many reasons people end up getting a 2nd iTunes account.
Before people attack those with more than one iTunes account, they should head over to the Official Discussions on Apple’s site.. many many threads on the subject and almost every one of them with valid reasons.
Apple has mentioned a few times they are looking into the possibility of merging accounts.. but seem to just forget about it right after saying it.
Well I started a new one with my iPad because when asked the question during set up I had no idea if it was best to create different identities for each or keep a single one for it and my Mac and what variables and connotations that decision would make back then. Only on using them for a day of so did I realise that I made the wrong decision but I was able to change it so it synced with the Mac one and ignored the other. However when it came to downloading updates to pages it kept telling me I was using the wrong id even though I changed between both. As it turned out it was an Apple glitch and likely not related to the ID issue at all because after a few months it simply rectified itself. However Apple help was totally unable to find a solution despite me buying the software preloaded with the Mac.
This is one issue on which Apple’s position is notoriously customer UN-friendly.
Please explain to us how in the hell Apple is supposed to know you are in fact the owner of both accounts you’re trying to merge when YOU CAN’T EVEN IDENTIFY YOURSELF as the owner of the account?
Who said anything about not being able to identify yourself as the owner of the account? And what have you been smoking?
“The Apple ID problem is understandable. You set up a new Mac, iPhone or iPad, and you just cannot remember your login info. So you create a new account,”
I’m sorry I was reading from the article.
You replied to Jeff. Apologize to him – not me.
That wasn’t an apology.
You posters are entertaining.
We try. 😉
The problem isn’t with Apple.
If you forget the password to your Apple ID you can rest it. You don’t need to create a new user account.
If you are no longer are using an email address, you can associate a new email address with the Apple ID.
If you happen to forget your password and you no longer have access to the email account that was associated with the Apple I
D, you can call Apple for assistance.
I think it’s about time people start taking accountability for there own actions and stop blaming everything on Apple.
Merging accounts should be an option though.
Good explanation. All the problems mentioned can be solved relatively easily. I’ve helped many people do this.
Still providing a way to merge accounts would be great. Except copyright lawyers would probably be the biggest force preventing it.
“If you are no longer are using an email address, you can associate a new email address with the Apple ID.”
Not if it’s an Apple email address you are trying to change it to. (@mac/@me/@icloud/etc) which IS Apple’s problem.
Whenever you create ANY new Apple email account, it AUTOMATICALLY creates an iTunes account with it, that you CAN’T un associate it from iTunes nor merge with another account.
We know from Tim Cook’s statement that Apple is aware that the problem of multiple ID’s is vexing to customers. It’s also all over the Apple Forums. Why don’t they do anything about it? Who knows? Why don’t the comment a little more about it? One could hope that Katie Cotton’s replacement will reflect a new, more responsive Apple that is less dismissive of customer concerns, even if they don’t fix them.
Pride and parades for starters. ;~)
Really? Apple should be responsible for stupid people?
Apparently you never considered the possibility (and reality) that many of us were forced to create new AppleIDs based on email addresses to use iCloud services, despite the fact that we already had username-based AppleIDs. Slinging insults is quite immature. Grow up, please.
I’ve had an Apple ID since Jan 5th, 2000… I still use the same account and I HAVE NEVER been forced to create anything new.
Both my iTunes account and my AppleID have remained the same all this time. So, I’m not sure what you’re talking about?
It’s good you admit you are ignorant, because, well, you are. I’ve already explained what I am talking about. If you have specific questions about what I have already said, feel free to ask.
You do not need an email address to create an iCloud account. When you create a new AppleID you have the option of using your current email address or you can get a free iCloud email address, then you simply enter a user name and a “username@icloud.com” email address is created for you to use as your AppleID, provided that user name is not already in use.
However, iTunes does require that you use a current email address when you create an account and this is where people are getting confused. You iTunes AppleID is not the same as your iCloud AppleID – but you do have the option of using ID for both.
*WHOOSH*!!!
Please point to where in the article it mentions the need of long time users to create NEW email-based Apple IDs because their old username-based Apple IDs no longer work?
???
My comment was a reaction to those people who just create a brand new Apple ID because they forgot their current Apple ID login information.
If you completely forgot your PayPal sign credentials would you just create a brand new account and expect to be able to transfer all the money over from that original account? Do you think PayPal is going to do that for you, without being to prove that the other account was in fact yours?
The article doesn’t need to mention that Apple has forced many customers to create multiple Apple IDs in order to use Apple’s services for it to be true. The fact is it is true, and there is no way to merge them, which is what the article is about – in fact the very first sentence in the article reads: “The other day, I read yet another story about a lingering Apple problem, the inability to merge that dreaded Apple ID with another in your household or business”. This is what many commenters here are talking about – including me.
That’s exactly the point – iCloud requires either an existing or a new email address. Old Apple IDs could be just usernames. If your original Apple ID is a just username then you can’t use it for iCloud without adding the @icloud.com – then it becomes a new (second) Apple ID. That’s how I ended up with two separate ID, not from stupidity I feel (unless you count being unable to see a few years into the future when I initially signed up for an Apple ID as being stupid).
My family uses my Apple ID for purchases. My daughter has her own associated id with no credit card attached. We all can access the purchases and have not exceeded devices yet.
The problem is that people don’t handle their accounts well or bother to think of the consequences.
Sooner or later my daughter will want her own stand alone account. We will have to se with that when it happens. Not apples problem in my opinion.
Related to Apple IDs:
I still hate how Apple IDs must be tied to some other email address. I have an iCloud.com account, but my Apple ID can’t be my iCloud email; it remains my gmail. Why!? You can simply go to iCloud.com and reset your password.
The whole issue of one’s Apple ID has been an unmitigated disaster since its inception. My first Apple ID was my name, then they added @mac.com, then they made an acceptable alternative my @me.com email address as a valid Apple ID. Various of Apple’s systems (iTunes, Developer Program, Purchase Registration) have allowed some or all of these alternatives at different times in history. The Apple ID that generally works best is the @mac.com version.
My take is that Apple builds and provides great hardware, great platforms for developers (OSX, iOS), pretty good application software and really miserable cloud computing services. FWIW, I’ve been using the Apple ecosystem for more than 20 years, so I have a clue about Apple’s successes and failures.
Yeah, I have a .mac, a .me, and a .icloud account, although the .me is dead. But it still works for logins. So do the others, to some extent. Except I can’t run iCloud email on some of my devices because of that group of screwed up IDs. I have the same user name with each but Apple has hosed this story.
This is a problem that goes both ways…
– The merging of accounts.
– The separation of accounts.
For people who set up multiple accounts “because they forgot”, well, that’s kind of on them, but there are other issues as well. I have my own account, and my wife has hers, but it’s a pain to have to switch between accounts on things like the Apple TV.
So here I think Apple could do two things, one is allow the merging of accounts. From a content/contract perspective there really should be no downside. What was purchased in multiple accounts now becomes one. Additionally, Apple should make it easier to switch accounts on devices, especially the Apple TV.
Then there’s the issue of the separation of accounts. Your child is part of your account because they’re too young to have their own account, but once they get old enough for their own account, you’re looking at repurchasing a ton of apps and media. Likewise it’s a problem when a couple splits up that was sharing an account.
There’s no easy answer here. Allowing two or more people to have the same media and apps that was purchased for one account seems like a total problem regarding Apple’s contractual obligations.
The only thing I could see Apple doing here is allowing the transferring of items to another account, but that would need some sort of limitation, otherwise, I could watch a movie and then transfer it to a friend who transfers it when they’ve watched it.
This gets messy real fast.
Perhaps the solution would be to allow devices to access content from multiple accounts w/o switching between them. This will in effect allow individuals to have separate accounts but access content on multiple accounts for devices authorized to access those accounts.
Spot on, these are my concerns as well. I got married before we were Mac/Apple/iTunes users so my wife and I never had separate iTunes accounts. We had kids after we became Mac/Apple/iTunes users, now my kids are avid Mac/Apple/iTunes users. No problems yet, we have a central iTunes computer, all devices for the entire family use the same iTunes account and everyone has their own individual iCloud account so FaceTime and iMessage work properly. No issues, yet. Eventually my kids leave home, get married, have kids of their own. At some point sharing the same iTunes account will not work. Eventually my wife and I pass away. Life events happen, but currently every song, App, Movie is tied to that single iTunes account, with no way to move it to another account. Apps and games don’t really concern me but the songs and movies do. Now do I loose sleep worrying about this? No. The problem for us is many years down the road, I have faith that Apple will eventually address this. Didn’t Bruce Willis sue Apple a few years back over this very issue? I seem to remember he had a very large music library and wanted to leave the collection to his children. I remember reading about it I just don’t remember how it turned out.
I have an old email address that is tied to my iTunes account, ONLY because apple will *not* let me simply change my email to my @me email.
When I created the iTunes account, it was LONG before mobile me, many many years later I switched to mac full time and got a mobile me account, APPLE created a new iTunes account with that email address.
Zero option to NOT create a 2nd account.. no option to merge.
I can change the email address on my iTunes account, but not to the @me account.
Can’t cancel the @me iTunes account.
Stuck with 2 accounts. 1 has everything i have ever purchased, the other nothing but my iCloud account stuff.
When I get a new iOS device, or mac etc.. I have to sign in with BOTH accounts. Absolutely stupid.
Forget the example given in the article, it’s just one of many possible reasons people have multiple iTunes accounts.
I’m going to repost this down here, because well, up there is a mess…
I understand that with MobileMe, you were stuck with a brand new Apple ID, leaving you with two; MobileMe and iTunes. And no way to merge them.
But with iCloud, you can create a new account using your original iTunes account name, so you’d have both iTunes and iCloud under one Apple ID.
Just ditch the old MobileMe account.
Wrong, I’ve called Apple and tried.
Can’t associate my old iTunes account with *any* new AppleID.
When I enter/add the old email into the settings on the MobileMe/iCloud account, I’m told that I can’t add that email address because it’s associated with an existing iTunes account.
Called Apple a few years ago, If I wanted to add that specific Email to the AppleID… i’d have to first add *another* email to the old account… and remove the first email address. THEN add the first email address to the new AppleID.
Which does absolutely nothing to get my past purchases into my iCloud account.
You think one can just “ditch” the “old MobileMe” account… I’ve got news for you, MobileMe users HAD to switch to iCloud for free by a certain time or you would no longer have access to the @me email account.
Either you are trolling, or you really are that stupid.
Everything you have said for myself or others to do, has been disproved via other links.. yet you still stand by your wrong info.
here: Some old reading for you back when iCloud was about to launch.
http://www.wired.com/2011/09/apple-icloud-sync-mess/
“Apple IDs “cannot be consolidated,” according to Apple, and it’s not possible to change your current Apple ID to match your MobileMe account (trust us, we tried). Keep in mind that Apple has stated that you can still convert a MobileMe account to iCloud but use a different Apple ID for iTunes-related syncing.”
Nothing has changed in Apple’s policy..
If you read the discussions, some people have claimed that on rare occasions with very intricate sob stories.. Apple has capitulated and actually merged accounts.. how true the comments are I don’t know.
I do know there are a ton of us that DO have multiple AppleID’s for different reasons, and we want 1 account.
@Michael: Best not to offer advice until you really know what you are talking about.
@Backlash: You are of course absolutely correct. I had a very similar discussion with Apple support a while back as well, where they told me the same things. I’m stuck with two accounts indefinitely, unless I am willing to give up all of the data in my original (non-email) Apple ID (which I am not willing to do). After spending close to an hour on the phone with them, their final suggestion to me was to just continue using the original account for purchases, and only use the newer account for iCloud stuff. As you know, this is not optimal, because it requires some additional hand-holding when you set up a new device or computer (since you have to specify which account to use for which things). I’m hopeful that one day Apple will finally figure out an elegant way to help those of us who find this to be an inconvenience!
LOL! Those of us who have been around longer than a minute know new accounts don’t magically inherit all of the purchases and history of other accounts. Apple customer support has told me this, and I have no reason to doubt them. So no, what you propose isn’t a solution – in fact it makes matters worse by adding yet another account to the mix.
The FAMILY option being released at part of iOS 8 should help but perhaps not end this discussion. The digital content is still not treated as owned by the individual instead they are perceived as leased.
I agree in principal this needs to be improved but it is just CRAZY to pick on Apple.
When Apple announced this, all the applause.. I don’t think Apple understood how big the reaction would be.
I don’t think it will totally solve the issue, but i’ll wait and see.
My thought exactly. The complainers saw a different WWDC than I did. I might be wrong (I do have a track record;-) but I thought Apple has a fix on the way.
Accounts should work like families. Marriages, children, divorces, and death …
Things that you share in your family that are free are not the issue it is only what someone paid money for. Once an account is going to be separated then maybe you are forced through a list of purchases from each account and you have to click a box to keep it or not. Kids could inherit songs parent purchased and no longer wants. We then own our stuff again just in digital form. Extra levels of authentication, none of this is perfect.
Computers work in a very logical and well structured way, but people don’t, and getting human beings to think coherently – when they don’t want to – is extremely difficult. Basic skills like understanding what and why we have a “User account” or why you need a good password is incredibly complicated for some people. I gave up on them long ago, even though I remind them that these computer things are not going away.
Are you saying anyone with multiple Apple IDs aren’t thinking coherently? That’s rich…
Please read the article and the part where users are creating new Apple IDs because they forgot their login information.
No one is saying people are stupid/ignorant because they have more than one account. This is about those people who decide to create a new Apple ID, because they forgot their old login info and now they’re whining because they can’t get to the content under that other account.
The setup instructions on a new iPad last year did not give any options, as if I never had any contact with Apple before. I think a lot of their tech support and even interface designers know longer are experienced enough in the Apple ecosystem to understand the true effects of some of the “changes” they dream up.
Please read the very first sentence in the article, which states: “The other day, I read yet another story about a lingering Apple problem, the inability to merge that dreaded Apple ID with another in your household or business”. That’s what the article is about.
This problem is rampant outside of the Apple universe. Facebook is bad for it – people creating a new Facebook account simply because they can’t remember their password for their previous account. I have some acquaintances with a half dozen accounts over time for this reason. It’s so crazy (and annoying!).
There is another issue with the Apple ID – it is used in too many places to be secure. These days I use a password manager and unique passwords for every account. But my Apple ID and password is used on multiple devices (iPad, iPhone, multiple Macs, Apple TV), for access to various Apple services including discussions, mail, iTunes, messaging etc. if someone got hold of my Apple ID and password they would have unrestricted access to almost everything.
My family has individual IDs for messages and contacts, and a shared ID for apps and media. No big deal.
“For me, I still have an Apple ID representing an email address I haven’t used in over a decade. I keep the domain and the address active for one reason: Apple.” – Author.
Well, the email address associated with the Apple ID CAN be changed (except of course if it ends with .me, .mac or Apple supplied domains). If the author doesn’t know this, he should not be writing these articles!
And Apple can’t be much of a tech company if they can’t resolve this issue! It is a bit ridiculous.
I have 3 Apple IDs I set up when living in different countries, each still linked to an active credit card issued in that country. The advantage, I can access content that often is restricted to a particular store, or not even available.
With iCloud apple has an option of changing the apple id to an icloud or .me email address. I think once done the content downloaded will work with the same and you can stop using the other email id as your apple id. Have not checked it personally though.
The Apple ID issues are bigger than just forgetting passwords. I have to make iTunes purchases and App Store purchases for both work and personal uses all the time. I have one id setup for work, so if I leave, I don’t walk with the software or media, and also so I don’t have to be reimbursed for $2 all the time.
The rule or being unable to use multiple apple ids for music or media on your computer is ludicrous, inconsistent, and confusing.
I signed into my work account on my home computer to download an album I had to purchase for a video project I was making, and now my iTunes library is assigned to that Apple ID for 90 days.
This disables my ability to access iTunes Match and other content from my personal account.
So, switching accounts can lead to locking content, and changing credit cards is almost always a massive ordeal, forcing you to use multiple accounts.
Then, add the fun or apple making you change your passwords far too often, and you have what is clearly a secondary issue to apple creation primary concerns and headaches for users on all platforms that Apple makes $ on.
Then, add iCloud accounts that were originally @me.com accounts, and you have a whole new layer of account stupidity.
It seems to me this should be very easy for Apple. I know who I am, I can sign into Account#1. Why, then, am I not able to reassign the rights either selectively or in total of any of my purchases to another ID, Account#2, of my choosing? That would then forfeit the right of Account#1 to ever use that content again. Only one ID would ever have rights to the content. It’s like selling a CD at a garage sale except, in this case, I am selling it to myself for nothing. No copyright is ever being violated. It is simply selling (giving) a “used” copy of content to someone else and forfeiting all future rights to that content.
Following this process would solve the merge and split problems at the same time. Truly, this isn’t a technical issue; Apple has employees far smarter than I. This really just needs the legal people to get a ruling by explaining the common sense of this to a judge.