Can I merge 2 Apple IDs?

This is a user to user forum. "We" means members of the Community. And I'm not even sure why you are responding to a post that is over 2 years old with specious arguments. You control your music. If you are too lazy to back it up or to keep it intact in your iTunes Library, that's too bad. But when you purchase anything it is your job to take care of it. If you don't and it disappears, that's on you.

And don't go all conspiracy theory about the proprietary software. If you don't like the structure, then go buy CDs. But your argument is no more valid than blaming Sony for not making hardware that will still run Betamax videos. If you want to take advantage of technology, then you have to accept the limitations and risks that go along with it.

So, again, not sure what attitude is all about after more than two years, but you might want to find something more productive to do than to pick apart posts that were written that long ago on a thread that was started almost 5 years ago about Apple IDs....

GB

Oh so now I'm too lazy to back up my files. Thanks for making my point, the point being that you denigrate people on this forum who happen to make a statement you disagree with, whether it's telling someone their viewpoint is "hogwash", or saying someone is lazy or a conspiracy theorist or what my "job" is in relation to what I "purchase". No, my problem is not with Apple, it is with your disrespectful attitude to Apple's customers while implying that you work for Apple when you don't.

What does it matter when this post was first started, it just shows that there a problem that still needs solving since people are still on this topic five years later, and I notice it hasn't stopped you from putting your 1 cent worth in during that time.

Maybe when this tread goes to 10 years or 120 pages we will get resolution. The problem is that Apple in their lack of wisdom gives customers email addresses (.mac or .me etc. and now .icloud) that they neither want nor asked for and results in at least some of the confusion that is at the core of the multiple ID problem. In my case, I cannot even get into the .mac account that I apparently purchased some of my content from way back when - so it is unavailable to me. My solution - I don't buy content from Apple - I buy or borrow CDs and add content I want that way.

Does anyone know a way to sort and view songs/content by which ID they purchased on? If I could do that, I would just delete all the content from the ID I can no longer access and be done with it.

Thanks!

You might want to consider starting a new discussion. Since this one is a couple of years old, less people are likely to look at it. A new post would be much more visible. You can link to this one.

No, and I am really suprised that Apple hasn't gotten on this. I was a loyal Apple customer for over ten years and this is what made me switch. I actually had backed up all of my computer and it turns out the Time Machine file was corrupted. Heck, I even tried putting my music on an MP3 player and the MP4's just corrupted in there. I bought about 10,000 songs during that time from Itunes (If only I had invested that money in Google...). Now I have seven different Apple ID's, and I can't even update my new iphone because it tells me that apps both belong to old ID's and then when I try to log into them it tells me those ID's don't exist. I used to love Mac and recommend it to everyone and this is the only reason I switched from Mac to PC.

If you have seven Apple IDs, that is your problem right there.

Instead of telling us all about how annoyed you are, how about explaining what specific issue or issue(s) you are running into. You are being asked for the passcode to those old IDs because they still exist, whether you use them or not, and the media that was purchased with them is still tied to them.

So, we can undoubtedly help you out if you are interested.

Cheers,

GB

atomicluck1 wrote:

So does that mean that once I'm over on iCloud I'll have both John_Doe@mac.com & John_Doe@iCloud.com? Or will it only be @me.com & @iCloud.com?

In either case what am I using to set up iCloud? @mac.com or @me.com?

Yes, you will have 3 email addresses john_doe@mac.com, @me.com and @icloud.com. They are all the same and will deliver to the same inbox

Remember that just because these email addresses exist doesn't mean you have to use them. Just ignore the lot of them if you like. The sky won't fall in.

I was in high school and had a silly high school email account - first one used through itunes

Then I was in undergraduate school and a current ".edu" address was required to get the student discount on a new mac

Then I was out of school and used my current email address because the old .edu had been discontinued.

Then I was in graduate school and a current ".edu" address was required to get the student discount on photoshop at the mac store.

Then I was out of graduate school and used my current email address because that old.edu had been discontinued.

Then there was a promotion for icloud where if you signed up for it with a new icloud address, that came with free storage, which I did when I bought a new mac.

Then I icloud was discontinued and I lost that one.

It's not because I love different email addresses - these things just happen when you get old and they don't let you merge ID's. Okay, maybe I also love different email addresses.

I appreciate your kind reply and offer to help. I have actually spent about five hours on the phone with Apple tech support. They tell me there is no way to keep all of my data - I have to pick one and throw away the rest (and all the data, apps, and songs on them). No way to merge, no way to update apps until I kill the other Apple ID's. I'm hoping Mac realizes it's beneficial to them to allow people to keep their own data. That's how you keep loyal customers, and keep them buying.

You can keep all of the data and some of the music/apps, which you can download again, you lose nothing but some time

How exactly?

Just download them again, on whichever account you have chosen to use.

I think you're posting to wrong thread. The question was whether you can merge Apple IDs not Can I download everything again using the original Apple IDs.