Can I merge 2 Apple IDs?

Sorry Iv been out of the country and unable to reply.

The reason I have yet to do the upgrade to iOS-5 is the mess with iCloud.

I have had an e-mail address with Apple since the days of DotMac (@mac.com). Then comes iTunes and a new AppleID. When MobileMe came alone we changed to both @mac.com & @mobileme.com. All of sudden I have my e-mail addresses and a new iTunes name.

Because I work and live in more than one country I have multiple iTunes accounts (US, UK, Australia, France and Germany). Remember, you cannot buy music, videos and even worse now Apps from another country. I end up with one iTunes, but 5 separate AppleID's attached to local addresses and e-mail accounts.

When I added my MacBookAir to my MacBookPro and then addes an iPhone to the mix things became very complicated. Apple always wants to use your AppleID to set up any device. In my spot because I travel ... which of those names is my 'real' AppleID?

Use the wrong one and the device does not understand who you are when you attempt to use it with another AppleID.

It took me weeks when I upgraded to my current unlocked iPhone4 to get it working. I would continually get authorised user if it had the wrong AppleID set.

Apple needs to rename it's terms. Because no one that I know of only has 1 AppleID.

I keep getting different information from different people even from Apple. Do I go to iCloud with my AppleID that was originally my DotMac user name or do I use one of the other AppleID's that is attached to a specific country? Do the wrong one and I risk losing years ⚠ of e-mails or history to iTunes.

That wouldn't work for me for one main reason. I cannot afford to lose the things that are attached to @mac.com or @me.com. That's years and years of e-mails and information a great deal that involves work. :-(

Chris,

Hate to burst your bubble, but it sounds like you should have converted to iCloud using your mobileme address and then used your apple ID with the itunes purchases to sign into the store setting on your iphone/ipad and computer...everything would work exactly the way you want it if you did it that way. You wouldn't have a merged account, but it wouldn't have made a difference as once you enter your ID with purchases in the Store setting on the iphone/ipad/computer, you can then just ignore it and everything will work seemlessly. Merging IDs is really a non-issue if you have all of your itunes purchases on one account. You can still do it the way I outlined above if you want but you will have to clean up some stuff with your new extra me.com address, extra iCloud ID and such. I almost did what you did. The best thing about doing it the way I outlined is that you then also get a prorated refund of your unused MobileMe subscription.

Chris said:

"Yeah, what you say sounds good Apple Forever, but I haqve to point out one little issue. If your purchases are not tied to your iCloud ID (which they would not be given your suggestion) then iMatch will not work. Got a friend in the developer program who tested it."

Chris, hate to burst your bubble again, but your developer friend is just completely wrong. Please check out this apple support document (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4895) where it clearly states:

When you set up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you use the same Apple ID for iCloud services and purchases on the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore. You can, however, use one Apple ID for iCloud services and another Apple ID for store purchases (including iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match). You will get all the benefits of iCloud whether you use the same Apple ID for iCloud and store purchases, or different IDs for each.

And if you do what I previously suggested, you get a prorated refund from Apple for the unused mobileme and that will pay for your itunes match service and you will have extra cash and everything will work great! Good luck!

It's too bad Apple didn't resolve the merge issue before iCloud activation.

It has become way too complicated for even the most knowledgeable Mac Apple user. I setup my iCloud using my iTunes account. I also have a MobileMe account. Since you can't merge the 2 accounts, should I set up a new iCloud account to move my MobileMe account data into or just wait? I've been using computers since 1984 and I've been an Apple user since the early 90s and even I need help. I think I'll wait for now... Apple needs to fix this fast!

I have the same issue... I now have TWO iCloud accounts...

1) with me.com - 20gigs - all my me emails

2) with ALL my apps, etc... - 5gigs

If I delete 1) then i loose my 20 gigs.. if I delete 2) then I loose ALL my stuff and have to re-due everything. I only have FREE 20gigs till June so now I may loose that FREE 20gigs if they don't fix it asap.

I called Apple and they couldn't help. Plus to talk to a echincal support advisor I needed to pay for the support becaise all my devices(all 15) are past the 90 days... funny how it isn't even about the device... it's about the software that I purchased from them!!! I pay X amount for the ME account and now am loosing it all and can't talk to support for free? Seriously Apple... ?

Anyways... they need to come up with a "MERGE 2 iCLOUD accounts" PLUS they need to pro rate my 20gig upgrade. Anyways... if anyone has something that might work please let me know! 🙂

nicevillesteve wrote:

I setup my iCloud using my iTunes account. I also have a MobileMe account. Since you can't merge the 2 accounts, should I set up a new iCloud account to move my MobileMe account data into or just wait?

If I were in your situation (and I almost did it the way you did it, but decided at the last second not to), I would try to reverse what I did and transition my mobileme account to iCloud and then use my itunes account with the purchases for future purchases. And then I would wait until and if Apple merges the accounts. But even if they don't merge the accounts, it works very well the way I suggest. I entered my itunes ID with the purchases one time in the Store setting in the Settings app on my idevices and now I don't even think about that ID. If you have a mobileme account and another Apple ID with purchases, this setup works like a charm. Not only that, Apple gives you a free 25gb upgrade in iCloud for one year and you can also get a prorated refund of your unused MobileMe subscription. I got a refund and they still let me keep the 25gb upgrade for free. Now, when I go to me.com and sign in the way I did for mobileme to see idisk or gallery, it shows that my mobileme account is expired....did not affect my me.com email address I now use with iCloud at all. Hope that helps.

kevcale wrote:

PLUS they need to pro rate my 20gig upgrade. Anyways... if anyone has something that might work please let me know! 🙂

If you transition your mobileme account to iCloud, Apple automatically gives you 25gb of storage free for one year.

I have the same issue and have ended up with two accounts when I only want one.

Apple Forever... unfortunately I have two accounts now... the one WITH the 20 free gigs is the acount that has nothing on it(my @me.com account-on iCloud). So the iCloud account that has all my apps and stuff... is my Apple ID account on iCloud and it only has 5gigs. 😟 Hope Apple has a MERGE TWO ICLOUD accounts soon...

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?

You have both and they are interchangable.

But it's not @iCloud.com. It will be @me.com which is the default.