Multiple Apple IDs

[allen-uk]

No idea how, but over the 25+ years, we've got more than one Apple ID.

As I understand it, if we delete one, then we lose access to anything we've bought in that name at App Store or iTunes Store.

If there any way of getting either of these places to run out a LIST of past purchases, so we can see what we'd lose, and then make a decision about whether it'd be a good thing to have One Apple ID only?

Thanks.

Allen.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

You'll likely have to login to the various places that you can use the Apple ID like the App Store on Mac, App Store on iOS devices, iTunes Store, etc., and check the purchases section to see what is associated with each ID.

You might also want to contact Apple to see if they can combine the accounts into a singular one that holds all the purchases so you don't lose anything, especially if you've paid money for anything.

 

[IWT]

Hi Allen

Just as an add-on to Ashwin's thoughtful post: To date, Apple has never merged Apple ID accounts as far as I know.

Apart from the purchases which Ashwin has covered, if you use that Apple ID to sync between Mac(s) and iDevices, that will cease as well when you delete that account.

Ian

 

[chscag]

Just as an add-on to Ashwin's thoughtful post: To date, Apple has never merged Apple ID accounts as far as I know.

Ian is spot on. For security reasons, Apple will not combine Apple IDs. The reason they will not do it is that it would leave a door open for someone to falsify an account and steal funds.

 

[ferrarr]

Personally I have multiple Apple/iCloud ID's. I use the newer one as my main account, and use Family Sharing to access my older account.

 

[NSMacGuru]

This really irks me.

I've been with Apple since before there were Macs. I began with their iTools online suite (hence my @mac email address). Their transition from the "old" AppleIDs that were —whatever— to the requirement to use an email address, and the inability to transfer existing purchases to the new-style AppleID was handled badly. That would have been the time - at the creation of a new ID - to reassign old purchases.

It's a little hard to swallow that a company that made over $50-Billion (with a "B") in profit last year can't create a mechanism - even a one-time deal with lots of security checks - to merge IDs and finally straighten this out.

Heck, I had to spend an hour on the phone with Apple support just a few months ago to fix a kink associated with my "old" ID, which suddenly required assigning a new email address to that ID (could not be my @mac address). Major pain in the keister.

 

[chscag]

Unfortunately, Apple is treating the "Apple ID" the same way our government(s) here in the US treat our Social Security Number.

And yes, I agree it is a major pain.