Merge apple id's, me.com and itunes account?

This is really frustrating for me because I go back to the old mac.com days. When I paid for the mac.com service (now MobileMe) was when I set up my iTunes purchases with my xxx@mac.com Apple ID seems like many moons ago. This has since been my ID for my many iTunes purchases over the years AND for setting up my iOS devices. So my iTunes Apple ID isn't even an outside domain like gmail or hotmail or whatever.

So I was ticked when I decided to resubscribe to Mac.com only to find it renamed to MobileMe, AND that I couldn't just reuse my xxx@mac.com that I'd been using all these years for purchases. I had to create an xxxx@me.com. Just didn't make sense to me for this now very real issue...one Apple ID for iTunes and iOS and the MobileMe ID for syncing data. So now with iCloud I'm simply resaying what I said when setting up MobileMe...I would have been very happy to use (or at least tie in tandem with somehow with??) my old mac.com ID!!

I trust they will find an easy solution.

The more I think about this, the more annoyed I get. I am in the position of many of the folks on this thread, where I have an ancient Apple ID (@msn.com for goodness sakes) which I have used for iTunes since day one, and a newer .mac E-Mail address. Thus far, I have been able to manage everything without an issue on my Macs and my iOS devices. However, it seems to me that things are going to get a bit messy with iCloud, if Apple doesn't get this worked out.

Putting on my IT hat for a moment, it seems to me that Apple should be able to manage this. Now, of course, I don't know what is going on under the covers with iCloud, but from a high-level perspective, Apple should be able to convert the data to make this work...

On the MobileMe to iCloud FAQ page it clearly states that you can not merge accounts.

I would put this down to the iTunes Music Store.
Apple has to comply with the the wants of the big music companies.

If you couyld merge 2 accounts then it would be easy for a group of people to get to gether and share all their music meaning that a song would only needed to be downloaded once for everyone to get it.

I myself have my Apple ID whoch is old and i've been using ot for many years and I have a MobileMe (now iCloud) account also. I would love for the option to merge these and have everything on my @me.com address, but to do this would mean purchising all my music and apps again 😟

There was a rumor floating around a month or so ago that they were working on a way to merge accounts, but alas it was only a rumor. You can find it with a quick Google.

If we can't merge, the big question for me is whether we will at least be able to use two iCloud IDs (Apple IDs) on one iOS 5 device. I guess it wouldn't be too hard to migrate all of my contacts and calendars from my mobileme account to my primary Apple ID I use for purchases anyway, though.

Apple must fix this. The current situation is unacceptable. I use Apple products because they usually "just work". This is just a mess.

OK Finally there is an answer, it is possible, the @me.com or @mac.com address will be used for iCloud purposes (calendar, mail, address book etc) and then you will have an opportunity of plugging in your iTunes Store ID to sync purchases of Music, Apps, Books etc.

See here

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4895

They also suggest there is a way of copying all content to one device (Mac or PC) authorising the ID to play on that computer, and when setting up iCloud with just your @me.com address it will work.

I think I favour the first option.

really-really annoying. My mac.com accound even predates .mac, I got it during the iTools era. It's never has an appleID associated with it. My appleID is old as well--from before they started requiring an email address. The problem is the workarounds apple suggests wont work. I could maintain two accounts, but each IOS device can only support a single iCloud setup at a time. Look at iCloud features:

- Email

- contact syncing

- calendar syncing

- notes

- reminders

All of the above I would want to associate with my mac.com email address, since they naturally integrate with email, and I want to retain my email. But icloud has some other feature:

- iTunes Match

- tv show redownloading

- app redownloading

These I need associated with my appleID because that's where I have made all my purchases for the last 4 years.

Now maybe some of these features may work without the iCloud config being set, but I don't know yet, and I'm worried about the bloody mess that I will have to manage on a half dozen machines.

Also the worry of content owners may not apply to many of us--there is zero content purchased under my MobileMe account, so there is no content to be merged. I just need my mac.com email address on the same account where all my purchases are.

Geof

I am really ****** off and frustrated right now, and I've been an Apple loyalist since the beginning (seriously, the beginning. I owned a Franklin and the beige all-in-one mac for god's sake). When the iTunes store came out, I signed up with a gmail account. When I signed up for .mac services, I created a .mac account. It was VERY COMMON for people back in the olden days to have 5 or more email accounts - however redundant it may seem now. Then you guys gave .mac the idiotic "mobileme" moniker and I got another useless account. Now, it's all going to be seemlessly integrated. I've been waiting a while for this. It's what I do for a living for other people. Only... (I trusted Apple would do it much better than I could dream of because I'm just one person) I can't sync my accounts. This is just short-sighted. I manage people and if someone worked for me and didn't think of this before rolling it out to the masses I'd be a right ***** to them. Honestly. This did not make life easier, it complicated it. and I sigh. pour myself a scotch. shake my head and go to dinner. I'll think about it tomorrow because 5 hours spent trying to streamline my life to no avail is a real bummer.

smokefortyaday wrote:

OK Finally there is an answer, it is possible, the @me.com or @mac.com address will be used for iCloud purposes (calendar, mail, address book etc) and then you will have an opportunity of plugging in your iTunes Store ID to sync purchases of Music, Apps, Books etc.

See here

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4895

They also suggest there is a way of copying all content to one device (Mac or PC) authorising the ID to play on that computer, and when setting up iCloud with just your @me.com address it will work.

I think I favour the first option.

I think this may have worked for me (or at least did what I wanted it to do). Thanks a lot!

Geoffrey, when you go to do the iCloud move from MobileMe it tells you what data will be synced by iCloud and what features you will lose, the Support article I e-mailed allows you to set a different id for Store purchases, which will mean you and I won't have a problem.

Sarbanharble, I have no idea why you set up a MobileMe ID when you already had a .mac, you were not forced to changeover to me, and I have many firends who still have their .mac but use MobileMe. Maybe you mucked it up.

As for the multiple emails multiple syncs, I think you will find that you will still be able to continue to use the various email addresses but only one will be used as your primary sync.

The iPhone, iPod, iPad and iMac will still synchronise say a gmail account so why shouldn't it do more than one @me.com addy? Surely you don't keep multiple calendars over multiple me.com addys?

Now sorry to go one further you signed up for iTunes with a gmail account? Well like me you must be lucky enough to use a username rather than an email for your AppleID, and be able to change the email address for said account. By the way iTunes launched in 2001, Gmail in 2004 (as beta) you must have done a timewarp, or are simply a fanboy of some non Apple device despite your protestations.

I think you missed my point. I need some of the iCloud features (iTunes match, etc) associated with my apple ID. I need other iCloud features (email, calendar, todos, etc) associated with my mobile me account. Since I only get to enter one single iCloud account on my iPad, I have to consider which set of features I value more, and set that one up on my devices. It seems apple will allow a different AppStore account from the iCloud setup, but will they allow a different iTunes account setup? Will they allow a different iTunes match setup from the iCloud settings? Apple is not very forthcoming.

Geof

Finally someone who understands me! Is there anyway to use @me.com ONLY? I hate gmail, as it doesn't fit in with my Apple-shrine of things...

Oh, and I was wondering... I created an @me.com account today quickly to test the mail out on iCloud and didn't think too much for the name... Would I be able to create another @me.com account? I can't find anywhere where I could create another one. I hope we're not bound to this one @me.com account 😕

Thanks!

Sorry, this was meant as a response to grim596

Geoff I really don't miss your point, I am telling you you can do both.

Your MobileMe address will be used by iCloud to sync Mail, Calendar and Address books as it does presently, plus a bunch of other stuff, according to Support Article during the iCloud setup process you are asked whether you want to use a different AppleID for iTunes content, to which the answer is yes (if you have music etc purchased using an old AppleID), you will then put that info in and the two will work in harmony.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4895

This article makes no sense. It recommends:

Using the same Apple ID for store purchases and iCloud is recommended for most users. To use the same ID, follow these steps:

iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

1. When you first set up your iOS 5 device, enter the Apple ID you use for iTunes in the setup screens. It will be used for store purchases and iCloud.
2. If you skipped the setup process, enter your Apple ID in Settings > iCloud and Settings > Store.

Mac: Enter the same Apple ID in Apple () menu > System Preferences > iCloud and in 
iTunes > iTunes Store.

PC: Enter the same Apple ID in Control Panel > Network and Internet > iCloud and in iTunes > iTunes Store.

Ok. I have a Mac. I went to System Preferences (by way of the Apple menu, no less) after updating to 10.7.2, but there is no "iCloud and iTunes" panel. There is only iCloud, and there is nothing about iTunes in there.

I, too, am furious. My first Apple product was a IIc+, and have been a loyal fan ever since.

I have two iTunes Store accounts, which is one too many. The first is with my original @mac.com email. Then, on one sad, sad day, I created another account because I forgot to enter the @mac.com at the end of my username. I really wasn't paying attention when this happened, and have no excuse for not realizing I was creating a new account instead of simply signing into another, but it nonetheless happened. I started making purchases from the account. Now, my iCloud experience will be plagued with the headache of multiple personalities.

I tried to resolve this problem of two accounts with Apple about three years ago. It was the worst customer service experience of my life. There was a brick wall everywhere I turned.

I have literally thousands of dollars invested between both accounts. I just want to make them one. Actually, I want to transfer the purchases to one and delete/abondon the other. Why, why is this so impossible?

Alright, I'm done venting. I'm going to assume there's still hope - a plan - on the horizon to resolve this travesty. The support article alludes to some solution that just doesn't exist, so perhaps we can hope that it just doesn't exist as of yet.

Dont make a mountain out of a mole hill.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4895

Choose: Using a MobileMe account with iCloud and as pointed out before , you will be given an option to enter a separate ID for purchases (the one you may have associated with itunes). This is the way to go as it will pave the way for the migration of your .me account to the upcoming icloud accounts, at which point, I am pretty certain that apple will allow you to merge both accounts into one for a more seamless integration.

Good Luck and, don't sweat the small stuff folks - it's just a synchronization service. And yes, as with any new service, you may experience difficulties at first so, bear that in mind - You don't have to sign up for it right away.