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

What iCloud functions only work with an @me address?

I've not encountered any. Also, even if that is the case, you can sign up to iCloud with an existing Apple ID, and create a new @me address, and use that @me address as your Apple ID. A lot a services will revert to the other Apple ID internally, but you can use any address associated with an ID to sign in, it seems.

The absolute craziest part of all this, though, is that when you sign up for iCloud with an existing Apple ID, and then create a new @me address for that account, you cant then set the @me address as the primary email for the account, becuase you get the same stupid message about @me address already being Apple IDs. Yes, but it is already this Apple ID, I just want to make it the primary contact for it so I can ditch my old email address! Grrrr!

Hi pairof9s,

You wrote

Currently, I have it setup for ID #1 to be used for iTunes, App Store. ID #2 is used for iCloud, iMessage and FaceTime. However, it's just way too confusing at times to distinguish which is being requested or needed for certain events or tasks.

All this leads to my original request of Apple to allow a clemency for former MobileMe/.Mac users to be allowed to merge their IDs and be done w/ this madness!

To only have to use one ID, make sure that your password for both IDs is the same, add your gmail address as an alternate address to your ID #2, and then just stop using your ID #1. Going forward, use ID #2 for iTunes and App Store as well as everything else. If your passwords are the same for both IDs, then any past purchases you made through iTunes or Apps will be able to be updated using the same password as you use for your new ID, so when the box comes up asking for your password, you won't have to be concerned with with ID it is displaying.

The only time you would then ever need to use your ID #1 again would be if you needed to re-download any purchases you made with that ID prior to switching to ID #2.

Just always keep your passwords in sync, and you will be good to go.

Cheers,

GB

Andrew, You do a great job here thanks. You make it really easy to understand, when the problem is straight forward with two Apple IDs. But there was periodes in time, where Apple was making adverdises about having 5 and later 10 devices in your family - never mentioned here. There were @mac adresses, then my own mailadresses, then the famous Family account, payed for years, and did stop this may. Then iPad and FaceTime did show up and they like to have a unique @me adress each. iPhone each, AppleTV and MacMini Server....

Out of this chaotic number of Mailadresses and Apple IDs and Cloud ID to syncronize the families calendar and addresses and... and several Apple IDs for App Store and others for iTunes. The last iOS update for all our iphones - it was a totally nightmare. I instinctly choose the same password for all of the IDs to make it a little more easy. logging off and on and downloading and log off and on on all devices.... And giving every single iChat, iMessage and FaceTime on every iPad and MacBook Pro and iMac its own Apple ID, updating with 10 different Apple IDs in AppStore and iTunes is not as easy, as you descripe it Andrew.

When several people in a family are home on different times and downloading music on a Apple IDs they remember this day (but shouldn't), over years things getting real messy and complicated. A clean up in the Apple family will be a enormous help.

We can of corse have focus on, there may be some bad guys out there, using perhaps the opportunity to do any harm. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Should Apple punish the millions of Apple users forever, because of some "perhaps bandits"? Sometimes we create this Bandits in our head, writing about how dangerous this bandits in our head can be and then somebody get the idea and is willing to take the role as the Bandit...

Sometimes it is wise to use a good sword and cut the head of the snake, not waiting until the snake takes over and fear is stearing our life. You mentioned also how expencive it could be for Apple. It will not get cheaper by waiting.

Windows had a huge disadvantage - Microsoft trailed in all this years the original DOS, in every Windows update.

This was perhaps the major reason for a weak and unstaple system.

Apple has the Apple ID - a growing problem when not new and better ways are developed - solving this for single persons and families. Primitive solutions like 'one person - one Apple ID' will make it easy for Apple for a short periode of time, but is unbareable and enormous frustrating for us, who are creating Apples billion $ profits every year.

As a IT Engineer I was witness of the development since 1972 and did choose Apple because of the Visions of Steve Jobs, to create a better computer and create a better world. Not a awkward solution for a awkward world....

To find a way out of this mess and getting a little more clearness and understanding, this site was a huge help:

http://gigaom.com/apple/how-many-apple-ids-should-your-family-have/

Perhaps it makes sense Andrew 🙂

Hi Andrew (and others),

Sounds like your a man with answers.

Like everyone on here I have 2 apple id's.

My first I'd's email address is from an ISP eg myname@maxnet.co.nz. I stopped using this ISP and hence now can't access that mail account.

At some stage I got a gmail account myname@gmail.com and started a new apple id. However, all my purchases are under the myname@maxnet.co.nz

To be honest there isn't anything worthwhile in the apple id account linked to my gmail.

However what I want to know simply is, is there some way to transfer all of my purchases from my myname@maxnet.co.nz to my myname@gmail.com account when I can't access the maxnet email.

From memory when you try & change the email address it sends a confirmation email... Which I can't access. It also won't let me change it to my gmail address as it says this account already exists...

Hope there's an easy fix for this!!

Hi Phil,

Do you have a @me.com account?

Also I just learned I have a @iCloud.com account

I learned this when I tried to synchronize my Outlook calendar with my iCloud calendar in Outlook. To synchronize I was asked to create a @icloud.com account. Lo and behold I couldn't because it says it was already existing. Rats I thought someone had taken it already. But when I emailed to it the message was sent to my @me.com account. So I can't synchronize my Outlook calendar with my iCloud calendar in Outlook because it doesn't allow for the possiblity that you already have an existing account.

The woes if @me.com account and @iCloud.co accounts along with my original iTunes account keep on coming......

Not a great job Apple.

Russ

Phil:

You do not need to transfer anything. You can simply "orphan" your original apple ID. All purchased stuff will still be fine. You can have up to FIVE accounts sync'd to any iDevice and more to iTunes.

You do not need access to old email to access an old apple id.

appleid@apple.com lets you manage the id.

What I recommend for the cleanest solution for you is this:

Login to appleid.apple.com with outdated email

Create a new @icloud.com email within that interface and make that the primary ID and email.

Orphan the @gmail apple Id (just stop using it).

If not allowed to create and attach @cloud the least you can do is change the email address for your purchase apple id so the emails come through.

As you know you can't change the email to an existing one. You can however use myname+itunes@gmail.com (this is how I use my non-email apple id since i have an addl apple id tied to my real email address). If you can not set your email to a NEW iCloud ID then this is the best bet. Then you can keep using the same iTunes purchase account you have been using but the email will come to your gmail.

I have also had luck with this solution:

1) login to your @gmail apple id

2) change the email address and ID to myname+old@gmail

3) login to your @maxnet id

4) now add your @gmail address as user id and email

You can NOT do that trick with any @me or @mac addresses but can with others (or usedtacould).

I would try that trick first then go back to the previous concept if it fails.

-awr

Gidday Andrew,

I just tried your last solution & it worked a treat!

I don't have an@icloud.com email.... At the risk of sounding stupid, what are the benefits of doing so?

Cheers again for your solution!!

Having iCloud as apple id allows all features on iPhone etc to work for example syncing notes from just one apple id.

Even if you use your @gmail as purchase id iDevice works happier with an @me or @icloud as the main iCloud Id.

andrewwynn.... really helpful many thanks...

i have a non @me.com account and a me.com (later)..... so i had already come to the conclusion i would use the same password and switch accounts to update software i stupidly bought in the separate accounts.

i have a small emotional like for the non me a/c, but would be happy to use just the me.com account if possible.

Would it help to add the me.com email to the non me.com account as an alternate / main email?

i feel like just biting the bullet and ditching one account and re-buying everything bought in one account for a second time in the one i intend to move forward with. maybe apple hoped for this outcome.

separate issue, i set up a me.com email and an alias with that account.... i much prefer and always use the alias, but the original @me.com is the one i have to use everywhere....

is the anyway to ditch the main .me.com and mergen into the alisa?

cheers

And that's the annoying thing. Has anyone written to Tim Cook?

It's one simple way to make loads of long-term Apple customers very happy. Just sort out a few of these minor but very annoying things.

I bet this would get a big cheer in the WWDC keynote.

Seriously...

I just want to take my old .me.com email and add it on to (associate it with) my ONE AND ONLY AppleIDiCloudID@mydomain.com account.

Not change anything, not replace anything... just attach it to.

Robert:

If your goal is to associate your @me.com email address with an existing Apple ID, you can do that by editing your ID at appleid.apple.com.

I have an Apple ID that is an old, out of use email address. I wanted to change it to my new @me.com email, but obviously I cannot do that.

What I *can* do is make my @me.com email my primary email address, i.e., the email address that Apple always uses to send me emails.

Also, I can now sign in with that @me.com email, even though the Apple ID is technicall my old email address.

Now it's become more af an aesthetic annoyance -- when I am in iTunes, for example, I see that my Apple ID is "xxx@oldemail.com," but I just look at it as a name, not an address.

Also, after you do this set up, if you want to sign in to any Apple service that uses your Apple ID, you can do that using your @me.com email.

It's not quite a full solution, but it's as close as I could get.

Hope that helps.

Unforuntately, my@me.com is techincally an AppleID because it was the signin for my MobileMe account... apparently.

I can't attach it to my iCloud account that uses my pre-MobileMe@mydomain.com AppleID (which I've used for every purchase and hardware/software reg I've ever made).

Strange. I thought Apple would let you add any email address as your primary address (though not as the ID).

Sorry!

Thanks anyway. 🙂