Can I merge 2 Apple IDs?

I like the SAME PASSWORD option - it can solve it for me and I can move on without complaining about Apple, without really knowing their reasons. If they ever jump in and allowing merging, that will be better, but is not on the table now.

Thank you gail from maine, for a simple fix. I have other stuff to do and its great to have a way to move past this mess. There are plenty others waiting!

You are most welcome DeeFair!

Glad that option worked for your needs! It certainly hasn't caused me any grief!

Take csre 🙂

GB

Gail, I'm not sure I'm reading this thread properly -- what is your suggested workaround?

So is there still no solution to this issue? I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw something about Apple changing their policy on apple ID's and that they now needed to be email addresses (probably around the time of icloud introduction). So I created a new apple ID that was my email account. And then when some subsequent login attempt with my old (non email) id prompted me to change it to an email address, I tried, but failed because that email address was taken. _Of course_ it was taken. It is mine, and one I created because I thought I had to. Now how can I actually use it instead of the one that used to be perfectly acceptable per Apple's policies, carrying over what is attached to the id they don't like any more?

I do know that Apple ID's and tied content can be split.

Apple will not admit this is possible but Court orders in divorce or similar situations force their hand because those laws override your private contract Terms with Apple as property is divisible by statute in priority over property stated as not divisible by contract. I have seen this so ordered and granted.

I think in the future we will see Apple ID merging, or at least aliasing, but I susepct fraud concerns (very legitimate) and DRM issues are vexing the capacity.

I don't think Apple is being "lazy" but they have legitimate concerns about proving identity. I suspect the legacy iTools/.Mac/MobileMe and DRM iTunes purchases make for a horrible stew of verification.

Yes, it is fairly obvious that they have to do it under some circumstances and thus they have to be able to do it. But those circumstances just don't relate to what lowly customers need or what their changing policies break...

My case would be simple to resolve, since there is no content/apps/DRM attached to the email-address version of my AppleID. And it is even the same email address that is associated with my previous AppleID that is not itself an email address and thus not usable as an icloud id. All I need to do is either delete the existing but unused email-address id version so the other one can be converted to it. It would be even better if the conversion just worked anyway as long as you have the passwords to both. But, Apple and I seldom agree on the concepts of being user-friendly...

Posting in case Apple sees how many people have this issue and post about it.

I had my original Apple ID, and then created a new one at some point in the past due to some sign on issue at the time. Now I have two with about the same amount of purchases on each.

I have been able to get all the content into one library (by copying the files, as has been suggested here), so it hasn't been a problem until now. I'm trying to use iCloud to use AirPlay, and now of course only half my iTunes-purchases show up on AirPlay: the half which belongs to the ID I'm signed with at that moment. It's very frustrating, and I'd love to sync the accounts.

From what I understand, iTunes Match would fix this, right? You can access any song you have in your library, regardless of which iTunes account it belongs to (or even if it isn't from the iTunes Store at all), via iCloud and therefore AirPlay. Just want to make sure I understand that correctly. Seems like a good deal, especially since I also have a large population of music ripped from my CD collection...would be great to be able to hear those on all my devices over my network.

http://www.xojo.com/blog/en/2013/06/merging-icloudapple-id-accounts.php

As I understand it, this is no real merge operation:

1. It will only work for documents and settings.
2. You have to manually transfer most of the data (iCloud documents)
3. It won't work for transfering purchases from the old account which I figure is what most people are interested in (iTunes App Store, App Store purchases).

Yes, it doesn't help my case where my itunes account is tied to a non-email login that was a perfectly fine apple id when I set it up, but I created one with my email address when I heard that would be necessary for icloud accounts. And now I can't convert the old one because the new one already exists. Of course it exists - it's mine.

I agree with patte & LesMikesell -- this latest proposed solution does not address the problem with App and media purchases (ie with asset management).

It is perhaps worth noting that MacOS and iOS have got somewhat better on this issue since this thread opened: now there is improved support for multiple accounts. But still: one has to constantly log out and log in, switching accounts, to keep apps updated.

Seems like given the path Apple has taken, a simple solution might be to allow iTunes and AppStore to remain signed in to more than one account at a time.

I received a year of "no charge" 20 GB of icloud due to prepaying for several years of mobile me service. It dropped to 5 gb recently so I upgraded. However, I think I upgraded the wrong Apple ID account, as all on the thread are aware that it is easy to open a second one by mistake. I am in a situation now where it appears I have iTunes Match with 95% of my music on one Apple ID, (without the email added to the id name), and 15 gbs of cloud storage for the pictures, numbers/pages documents, home videos, etc for another Apple ID,( exactly the same except the addition of @me.com).

Somehow I was unaware of this as I had selected the same password for both. Recently I was forced to change the password, and i had to have 1 uppercase, and at least 1 number etc. and couldn't use the one I used previously. When I decided to upgrade the cloud storage, I was confused that I kept failing to log in, and checking and double checking that I knew this new password. I tried the old one for kicks, and it took it. It wasn't until I see this thread that I realized

I have two accounts, and as I said, most purchases on one, and the cloud storage upgrade on another.

At least my Apple TV allows me to have both accounts available for imatch, etc.

Very frustrated here and same issues as above. As a long-time Mac user, I too have MULTIPLE ids for various reasons. I'm ****** that music I LEGALLY purchased prior to 2009 is tied to a mac.com address that I can no longer access, and I don't have the password anymore so I can't burn copies of them (due to said lack of password). With the evolution of Apple, and technology, and not realizing that my purchases were tied to an email address that is now defunct, and devices that have been wiped and sold, I feel like my hands are tied.

Suggestions for retrieval?

I think all you can do is learn the lesson that you aren't really purchasing something as long as someone else controls access to it.

Go to Manage your Apple ID, click on Reset Password, and type in your old @mac.com Apple ID in the Apple ID field:

Apple - My Apple ID

It will ask you to answer your security questions. If you can't remember the answers to them, then you can contact Apple Support and have them reset them for you. Then, once you are able to get into the Apple ID account that goes with that old email, update your password to match whatever password you are using on your current Apple ID:

APPLE ID SECURITY CONTACT NUMBERS

Also, make sure you have authorized your computer with each of the IDs signed onto iTunes.

Now, you have access to purchsed items for both IDs in the same iTunes library, and when you need to provide a password for doing App and other updates, you will type in the same password regardless of which ID is displaying for the update.

Apple IDs don't go away, so even if you have an Apple ID that is using a defunct email address, you can still access it, and the items that were purchased under it.

Cheers,

GB