Merging of Apple IDs - again

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Merging of Apple IDs - again

I have a very old AppleID dating back to ~2008, which isn't a mail address, it's just a username. This account has been used for many purchases over the years, is the master account for family sharing (all slots available are in use). It is also my Apple Developer account ID.

I have a newer account, which is an @me.com account from when that first came to be. This has 1000's of mails associated with it, plus some App purchases etc.

I am finding that I cannot login to Apple any more with the first account, as it's not a mail address. I am constantly informed by my laptop and iPhone that the account is locked, and I have to unlock it every time I need to do an App update. Which starts the cycle again.

Is it still the case, after over 10 years of asking and begging to be able to merge the old 2008 account into the @me.com era account that Apple still refuse to do this?

I cannot delete either account, there is too much invested in both of them. I could, in theory, create a generic throw away mail address just to use as the ID for the old account - though what that does to the family sharing and developer account is unknown. My Apple Developer account uses my @me.com address for notifications, but is billed to the 2008 account.

It's all a bit of a mess, it is within Apple's remit to solve, though they seem unable or unwilling to help - any bright ideas?

Posted on Jun 24, 2024 12:50 PM

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Answer 1

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IdrisSeabright

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Jun 24, 2024 1:29 PM in response to RJC101

RJC101 wrote:

Is it still the case, after over 10 years of asking and begging to be able to merge the old 2008 account into the @me.com era account that Apple still refuse to do this?

That is still the case.

It's all a bit of a mess, it is within Apple's remit to solve, though they seem unable or unwilling to help - any bright ideas?

Have you tried to change the user ID in the original account to an email address? I don't know if that's possible and if so, if it's possible to do on your own. But that's where I'd start.

Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

If you can't do it yourself, I'd contact Apple and ask for help with that.

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Answer 2

Jun 25, 2024 6:21 AM in response to RJC101

RJC101 wrote:

In theory I could add an e-mail address, but it would be a disconnected standalone throw away address. I can't add a @me.com or @iCloud.com, it *must* be something else according to the prompts. Then, if I do this, what happens to all family shared stuff? From memory of changing an AppleID before, everything needed to removed and re-added on all family member devices. They are 3 hours away, so issues are a pain to resolve.

To the best of my knowledge, nothing will happen if you change the user ID connected to the Apple ID. It's still the same Apple ID. But this is a question that Apple Support would probably be best able to help you with.

It's a right mess, and one Apple could easily resolve. It's like a shop saying they don't stock a particular item, there is no call for it. Then mention 100 other people have asked for the same thing.

As I said, the resolution would seem to be to fix the original Apple ID. Have you talked to Apple about that? It may be that simple. But you won't know until you ask.

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Answer 3

RJC101 Author

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7 points

Jun 25, 2024 4:12 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

In theory I could add an e-mail address, but it would be a disconnected standalone throw away address. I can't add a @me.com or @iCloud.com, it *must* be something else according to the prompts. Then, if I do this, what happens to all family shared stuff? From memory of changing an AppleID before, everything needed to removed and re-added on all family member devices. They are 3 hours away, so issues are a pain to resolve.

My Developer account is paid for by the 2008 address, and that is what I login to the developer site with. But the developer side also mails my @me.com address - so it has some kind of link. This itself may cause issues if I change the 2008 ID.

It seems like the 2008 ID is the account used for all purchases 'under' my @me.com AppleID. So I sign into my @me.com ID on devices, but for things like Apple Music I have to sign in with the 2008 account. Which is tricky, as it always tries to update the account security, which it can't.

It's a right mess, and one Apple could easily resolve. It's like a shop saying they don't stock a particular item, there is no call for it. Then mention 100 other people have asked for the same thing.

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Answer 4

RJC101 Author

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7 points

Jun 25, 2024 11:53 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

I did raise it when dealing with support. I'd raised a bug that could cause a kernel panic, and whilst on the phone mentioned it. General response was "oh dear" "may have to buy a load of apps again" kind of response. That was over a year ago now.

I'll try explaining it to Apple Support, again. See if they can work any magic. Expectations are low.

Fixing the original Apple ID is easy from my point of view, merge its resources into the @me.com ID.

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Answer 5

Jun 25, 2024 12:08 PM in response to RJC101

RJC101 wrote:

Fixing the original Apple ID is easy from my point of view, merge its resources into the @me.com ID.

I understand that's what you want. But it's not an option. So, time to seriously explore things that could actually happen.

Best of luck.

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Merging of Apple IDs - again

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