Apple just lately rolled out a brand new characteristic that solves an issue that is endured for many years (actually).
Way again in 2003, Apple launched the iTunes Music Store. Charging for digital music information was a daring transfer within the face of the widespread file-swapping providers, akin to Napster, that have been booming on the time. Apple wager that folks wished to legally personal professional copies of music — Napster was later sued practically out of existence — resulting in an internet market that will go on to promote billions of songs.
But are you utilizing the identical e-mail as you probably did again then, or maybe you’ve got been utilizing two separate accounts for different causes? If you switched to a brand new account in some unspecified time in the future, akin to an Apple Account that now handles your iCloud Plus subscription, these outdated purchases have been endlessly locked to that different ID.
Until now.
This new characteristic now lets you migrate purchases from one Apple account to a different. Note that it doesn’t merge Apple accounts. It’s just for bringing the gadgets you acquire utilizing the outdated account to the brand new one in order that they’re all underneath the identical digital umbrella.
The course of is sophisticated and contains a number of caveats, so let’s stroll via it collectively.
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How to inform you probably have purchases underneath a unique Apple account
Here’s easy methods to see your buy historical past from an account you will have used between then and now.
Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign up with the Apple ID and password of the account you need to verify. This is Apple’s portal to verify for fraudulent purchases, however it works nice for viewing your historical past.
View your entire purchases at Apple’s website.
The purchases are listed chronologically and embody something purchased from Apple, together with music, video and apps.
Make positive your Apple accounts are eligible for migration
First, some essential terminology. Apple calls the outdated account the “secondary” account, and your present account the “major” account.
Next, Apple ties some strings to the migration course of, so earlier than you get began, be sure to’ve checked off the next standards:
- Make positive the secondary account shouldn’t be a part of a Family Sharing group or is ready up for Purchase Sharing. If it’s, you possibly can take away these choices on a tool signed in to that account (go to Settings > [Apple Account name] on a tool or go to account.apple.com in an internet browser and select the Family Sharing possibility).
- Make positive each accounts have Two-Factor Authentication enabled.
- Both accounts should be set to the identical nation and area for purchases.
- If there may be any excellent steadiness on the secondary account, get it all the way down to zero. The identical applies to any excellent leases or pre-orders; they must be full earlier than you possibly can migrate.
- At least 15 days should have handed for the reason that final buy on the secondary account. (However, I used to be in a position to migrate some purchases from earlier within the week, so this may not be rigidly enforced.)
- Make positive you’ve gotten the fee methodology close by for the secondary account.
This final level is essential to say, as a result of if it is a completely different bank card than what you usually use, the secondary card turns into the fee methodology for the first account. In my case, my major account is tied to an Apple Card and my secondary account makes use of a bank card from my financial institution. After I migrated, that financial institution card grew to become the primary fee methodology, so I switched it again to my Apple Card.
Also, observe that migrating assumes you will not be utilizing that account for purchases anymore, so that you will be unable to make new purchases on it.
Sign in to Media & Purchases along with your secondary account
With these conditions out of the best way, it is time to do the precise migration.
1. On your iPhone, iPad or Mac that is signed in to your major account, go to Settings > [Apple Account name].
Set a unique Apple account for Media & Purchases choices.
2. Tap Media & Purchases and faucet Sign Out to briefly disconnect your purchases out of your major account. This means you will not see gadgets you’ve got purchased within the Apple TV app or Music app, for example, however that is OK.
3. The Media & Purchases possibility ought to now learn Set Up: Tap it once more. (If you get the identical pop-up that appeared within the earlier step, swap to a different setting after which again to the Apple Account to see the Set Up possibility.)
4. In the subsequent dialog, faucet Not [your name or account], since you need to sign up utilizing your secondary account.
Tap the “Not [your name]” choice to signal into your secondary account.
5. Enter the secondary account title and password, and reply to the authentication step (akin to getting a code from a tool logged into that account or by way of textual content).
Now, the Media & Purchases merchandise ought to show the deal with of your secondary account. (Again, I needed to choose a unique setting and return to the Apple Account to see this outcome.)
Migrate purchases from the secondary account
To carry out the precise migration, do the next:
1. Still in Settings > [Apple Account name], faucet the Media & Purchases possibility.
2. In the pop-up that seems, faucet View Account to view the Account Settings window.
3. Scroll down and faucet Migrate Purchases. You might have to supply your major account password.
Look for the Migrate Purchases button within the Account Settings window.
4. In the Migrate Purchases window, confirm the first and secondary accounts and faucet Continue.
At this level, you may be notified if any of the conditions above must be addressed, akin to whether or not the secondary account is a part of a household sharing group.
5. On the subsequent display, assessment which gadgets will and won’t be migrated. Scroll down and faucet Continue.
The final step is to assessment what is going on to be affected by the migration.
6. On the Finish Migration display, faucet Migrate.
Sign again in to Media & Purchases in all places
Once the migration course of has begun, it might take “up to some hours” for every part to get moved over.
Apple says to signal out of the Media & Purchases account on all units, after which signal again in utilizing your major account.
What if I’ve made a horrible mistake?
There is a solution to undo the migration of purchases between your secondary and first Apple accounts. Keep in thoughts that after undoing the migration, you will not have the ability to migrate them once more for one yr.
Learn extra: Have your purchases and different information crammed up your iCloud allotment? Learn easy methods to liberate iCloud storage simply.
