Can I merge 2 Apple IDs?

Yeah, I know the music distributors would like to make it illegal to have a guest in your house share listening to a song when you play it. But it doesn't change the right of first sale you are guaranteed with a physical object. So, I'm not buying any digital media until there is a way my wife and I can split up joint property as easily as sorting a box of dvds if we divorce. And I'd advise others to do the same if they care about where their money goes.

35 years in the music business and I still laugh when people who have no experience at all tell me how they think it is. Or how it should be,

Do as you please, no one will find you (but it would be wiser not to boast about stealing on a public forum)

Please explain how buying dvds jointly with your wife and splitting them in a divorce settlement would be stealing? Or inheriting them for that matter? Or why businesses like to accuse people who buy their products of stealing? I'd really prefer not to have half a room full of plastic discs if I actually owned something with digital versions.

LesMikesell wrote:

So, I'm not buying any digital media until there is a way my wife and I can split up joint property as easily as sorting a box of dvds if we divorce. And I'd advise others to do the same if they care about where their money goes.

The easiest (and only legal way ownership-wise), is to buy your digital media with your own Apple/iTunes IDs. My husband and I have been doing this for years, and it does not prevent us from sharing that media via iTunes whenever we wish. If you get a divorce, then wipe the iTunes Library, and re-download your own media to the iTunes Library that you will be using post divorce....

Because, you see, there is no such thing as "joint property" when you are purchasing digital media. The media is attached to one Apple ID. The Apple ID is attached to one person.

It's not really rocket science.

GB

Well, hopefully, the other person knows that persons Apple ID information. I know my husband's and he knows mine, so we can get into eachother's accounts any time we want. That's how you would work that particular issue out. Since Apple IDs are a one-person ownership thing, the only way to make the "joint" is to share all of the "secure" information about those IDs with the person you are jointly sharing with.

Sure, other things we purchase we do so jointly, and even though we each have our own checking accounts, both of our names are on them, so they are owned jointly. But Apple IDs just don't work that way. A lot of things don't, like a "membership" card to a gym or a co:op. You just find the best way to work it out so that both people have as much equal access as possible.

GB

Actually, the best solution for music purchases is to buy the CD. It costs about the same, you own physical product, It's often higher quality and you can upload it to iTunes. I only buy from iTunes when something is either not available or I just want single songs. I also burn them all to CD so I have physical archives in case Apple tries to ding me for too many copies (mix CDs I like to make).

The Apple ID problem has been going on for years, ever since they made us convert to an email address, but still kept our other account.

So many years later, Apple still has not chosen to address the issue, so we'll have to live with juggling multiple accounts. I tried to link my two using the "Family" mode, but they have this set to first, assume you are adding a child, and second, not allow you to link your other non-email Apple ID. I think Apple is waiting for all the people with old IDs to die - problem solved!

In a perfect world, a solution would be straightforward, but Apple doesn't have a good track record with much of its software. (i.e. Apple Mail).

Still prefer all this headache to a PC, but Apple, can't you try and up your game just a little bit, please? :-)

Thanks Gail, but this is years later and so many tried (including myself) to address this with Apple back then - to no avail.

There's a reason they don't want to change certain things, and only they know the reasons. Not for lack of talent or money.

As I understand it, we never actually "own" any software, we buy the rights to use it. Same with downloaded music.

The rights holder can impose any restrictions they want at any time, hence the ever-changing TOS agreements.

Software not only is covered by terms-of-service, it is always full of security flaws that are sold to you and only safe to use if you continually keep it updated to fix things as the problems become public knowledge.

Music, however, may be packaged as a 'product' in the form of a CD or something physical. In that case there are consumer protection laws that provide you with certain rights that apply when you purchase a product, like the right to resell, give away the product, or to leave it to heirs. Personally, I do not buy any music or videos packaged in a way that does not convey these rights. But you can make your own choices.

The ongoing issue with purchases made using two Apple IDs. Many of us got stuck after Apple changed Apple IDs from using usernames to emails and have two because of that. Others had two emails. They have no way to merge the ones that you own into one account.

How would you know what springstreetfreelance meant?

The only way to get two Apple IDs is to set up two Apple IDs. If you believe that you ended up with two Apple IDs when Apple changed to an email address from a user name, then you really should contact iTunes Support. Have you always had this issue? Or is this something that has happened to you recently?

Cheers,

GB

Send your feedback to Apple: Apple - Feedback. They don't respond to feedback, but they do read it.

GB

It looks like I'm in the same boat... I THINK I can dump my MobileMe account (I don't use that email address) and sync everything to my iTunes Apple ID before I get in too deep with iCloud.

I can't believe how much of a headache this process has been so far.

You can use 2 apple ids with iCloud. The MobileMe email address will be your apple I'd to sign into and begin the set up with the ios5 and iCloud. Once you gave mcompleted the set up, go to settings, store, and put in your user name and password that is attached to your iTunes account and that way you can use both email addresses with iCloud. Please click on the link to get a better understanding.

www.apple.com/MobileMe/transition.html

Scroll does to MobileMe accounts. I hope this helps!