I want to share apps with my wife. How do I do it?

We have one iMac with 2 users and two iPhone 4's. My wife has her own account on her side of the computer and I have mine. I do all the purchasing on my account. How do I share my apps with her since she has her own account on her side of the computer? I tried a search but came up empty. Thanks.

Assuming you mean iPhone apps.

Just have her log into iTunes with the your iTunes account details.

mrplow said:

Assuming you mean iPhone apps.

Just have her log into iTunes with the your iTunes account details.

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I just tried that and I think it will erase all her iPhone apps and replace them with mine. I think it may erase her entire phone and replace it with all my stuff. I want to share just one app with her. I dont want to pay another $4 for the app because I already own it and the other phone.

Let me get this clear in my own head:

You have two itunes accounts, one for each user and phone?

When your wife logs into her user, starts iTunes and logs into your itunes account what messages do you get when you connect her iPhone?

If you're each using your own individual iTunes account, you're not going to share apps. If this was allowed, there would be nothing stopping the thirty 15 yr old kids sitting around their local hangout and sharing all their apps with each other.

This is why I recommend a husband and wife have only a single iTunes account that you both use. You will then both have access to any music, movies, TV shows, apps, books that either of you purchase. If you're each syncing from a different machine, then both of those machines need to be on the same iTunes account and you'll be able to share using the iTunes 9 Homesharing feature.

You can also do it straight on the phone.

Just go to the app store, scroll to the bottom of the page and log into your itunes account on your wifes phone. Then you can just download the app.

Then, if required, log back into her account.

All that said.... bobtomay makes a very good point. A single iTunes account is the way to go. It simplifies things no end. It's the way I'm setup at home with the good lady and the children

So if I just use one account (mine) for iTunes,how do I keep her contacts,notes,calender,settings,etc. from mine? I have music and podcast she'll never want to listen to. Thanks again for your helm guys.

Calendars, contacts, notes are stored on a per user basis.*
If your wife logs into her user on the mac, starts iTunes and logs into your iTunes account she'll have access to purchase and sync apps owned by that account.*

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

Than k you, it worked! I got her apps and she got mine. Funny, my apps wont show up on her user when shes in itunes. They only show up in my user when I
'm in itunes. Whenever I get an app I think she'll like or there is an update I'll just sync it to my acct.

Glad it's working for you. Thanks for posting back

bobtomay said:

This is why I recommend a husband and wife have only a single iTunes account that you both use. You will then both have access to any music, movies, TV shows, apps, books that either of you purchase. If you're each syncing from a different machine, then both of those machines need to be on the same iTunes account and you'll be able to share using the iTunes 9 Homesharing feature.

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Ugh, I SO disagree. My wife and I are individuals with our own tastes, likes and dislikes. If I like an App she has, $.99, $2.99 or $6.99 isn't that huge of a price to pay to get an App again for myself (or vice-versa).

baggss said:

Ugh, I SO disagree. My wife and I are individuals with our own tastes, likes and dislikes. If I like an App she has, $.99, $2.99 or $6.99 isn't that huge of a price to pay to get an App again for myself (or vice-versa).

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A single app, maybe not. Several hundred dollars worth (or several thousand a few years down the road) of music, movies, TV shows & books now; and your spouse has no access to putting those on their iDevice... easily... without paying again?

It's too easy to share a library and still sync exactly what you want to your individual device. Whether you're both syncing from a single user account, separate accounts on a single machine, or separate machines and using the Homesharing feature now in iTunes. Sorry, but I find no issue in syncing multiple devices here, all with totally different uses and tastes on each one.

bobtomay said:

A single app, maybe not. Several hundred dollars worth (or several thousand a few years down the road) of music, movies, TV shows & books now; and your spouse has no access to putting those on their iDevice... easily... without paying again?

It's too easy to share a library and still sync exactly what you want to your individual device. Whether you're both syncing from a single user account, separate accounts on a single machine, or separate machines and using the Homesharing feature now in iTunes. Sorry, but I find no issue in syncing multiple devices here, all with totally different uses and tastes on each one.

Click to expand...

Same here. All five of us share an account. We all have different tastes and preferences and lose no personal identity in sharing an account.

ditto -- me, spouse, and 2 kids each work off the same iTunes library. Each has a separate playlist to sync specific stuff to their devices from the main library.

However, we each have an iTunes account (to buy things), and each have purchased both music and apps individually. ALL are available to each of the 4 of us. We have to log into different iTunes accounts for app updates, but if my son buys an app on his iTunes account, it goes into the general app library and I can put it on my iPhone without issue.