Multiple Apple IDs and cloud storage options

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Level 1

9 points

Multiple Apple IDs and cloud storage options

This might sound confusing but hang with me on this one. I'm getting dizzy trying to sort this out.

I have two Apple IDs and three large cloud base storage options and I'd like to tidy things up without having to sacrifice ease for saving money.

So here goes:

I have one Apple ID that's the primary for my computer log-ins, etc. Let's call this @mac. I've had it since the beginning and it's a legacy with the @mac e-mail address. It's tied to Family sharing, Wallet as well.

The second Apple ID is associated with my Apple media/purchases (iTunes, Movies, Apps, etc)

Let's call this @media because I wanted to separate purchases from my primary for the purpose of security, family, and business needs. This has a lot of music and movie purchases from the early iTunes Store days.

I have a 2TB Dropbox account which easily associates with my Finder, macOS, and iOS for work. I'm a video editor/producer so this is the best for managing and sending large files on occasion.

I have a 2TB iCloud account associated with my @mac account which also integrates easily to all devices.

And now I have a 2TB iCloud account associated with my @media account due to Apple One Premier.

The Apple One Premier plan comes with 2TB iCloud storage but it's associated with the second Apple ID (@media) which means I can't easily access it on my laptop via the Finder. It's only accessible via the browser which isn't very easy to use compared to Dropbox or the Finder/iCloud.

--I don't need 6 TB of storage across three different accounts and can save money by cutting one.

--I won't re-purchase everything I bought with my @media account for the sake of merging accounts.

--I cannot downgrade to 200gb iCloud because my family is around 400gb with photos, etc.

--Apple does not allow accessing another 2 iCloud accounts with one Apple ID via the Finder and you cannot merge accounts without losing all purchases.

I've invested a lot into many Apple IDs/platforms, but I can't see the need to spend so much on storage. without sacrificing something or wasting the other. Any advice on how to either integrate dual iCloud storage plans into your Finder or merging accounts?

I hope this makes sense - any ideas or help would be appreciated.

tlDR;

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Mar 3, 2021 10:11 AM

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Answer 1

djreano

Level 1

9 points

Mar 5, 2021 7:22 AM in response to brlockhart

Hi!

I have a similar issue, researched on it and seems there is no simple solution (at least for me).

My case: I have separate accounts for Media and Apps and an iCloud account. My iCloud account has a 2TB subscription (and I use only about 250Gb - There is no intermediate option between 200Gb and 2Tb - which itself is RIDICULOUS).

I also subscribe to Apple Music.

I live in Brazil, and here the services cost:

iCloud 2TB: R$ 34,90/ month

iCloud 200Gb: R$ 10,90/ month

Apple Music: R$ 16,90/ month

Apple One Individual: R$ 26,50/ month

Apple One Familiar: R$ 37,90/ month

Today I pay iCloud 2TB (R$ 34,90/ month) + Apple Music (R$ 16,90/ month). Total R$ 51,80.

I would like to subscribe only Apple One Familiar and purchase an additional 200Gb iCloud upgrade, paying a total of R$ 48,80/ month and also getting Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade.

According to this article: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211862 ->

If I subscribe to Apple One, I could attribute by storage to my iCloud account and the other services to my Media and Apps account.

THE PROBLEMS ARE:

We do not have have Apple One Premier in Brazil (which gives you 2Tb of iCloud storage)
If I subscribe to Apple One familiar and choose to use my iCloud account as storage, I could not, because I have more than 200Gb on storage there. What happens, based on the article above, is that if you have over 200Gb in storage, the Apple One storage is automatically associated with Media and Apps account. (Quoting article: If the iCloud storage included in Apple One is less than your current plan, you keep your current storage plan and the iCloud storage in Apple One is applied to the Apple ID you use for media subscriptions.)
If we had Apple One Premier in Brazil, I could solve it with the previous bullet. As we do not have it, my largest possible storage option on Apple One would be 200Gb.
I could eventually backup part of my current iCloud storage to be under 200Gb, subscribe to Apple One Familiar (200Gb) and tell the service to associate my storage with my iCloud account. Then purchase more 200Gb of iCloud storage, ending up with 400Gb available (200Gb from Apple One and 200Gb from iCloud storage upgrade), and restore by backed up files to iCloud BUT:
The same article above says: If you have applied the iCloud storage included in Apple One to the Apple ID you use for iCloud then buy additional iCloud storage later, the storage included with Apple One will be moved back to the Apple ID you use for media subscriptions.

I ended up with only one solution:

Keep my current iCloud 2TB subscription (R$ 34,90/ month)
Subscribe the Individual Apple One plan (R$ 26,50/ month)

I would pay R$ 61,40 per month (R$ 9,60 additional to what I pay today) and continue to keep iCloud storage and Media and Apps totally apart. Of course, I would get Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade for this difference, but I would not save any money.

The ideal solution for me would be either being able to merge my two accounts (iCloud and Media/ Apps) or having an Apple One plan with larger storage options. None is avalable. :(

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Multiple Apple IDs and cloud storage options

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