Can someone please explain what this means? I can't download my past purchases whenever I feel like it?
This computer is already associated with an Apple ID.
You can download past purchases on this computer with just one Apple ID every 90 days. This computer can be used with a different Apple ID in 88 days.
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion
Not whenever you want, not exactly, no. The powers that be don't want you going into each of your friends' computers and downloading all your purchases to them, so they place limitations on what you can do, even if that's not exactly what you are trying to do in this case.
iTunes Store: Associating a device or computer to your Apple ID - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4627 - In connection with, "When you turn on iTunes Match or Automatic Downloads, or when you download past purchases on an iOS device or computer, that device or computer becomes associated with your Apple ID." "Your Apple ID can have up to 10 devices and computers (combined) associated with it. Each computer must also be authorized using the same Apple ID. Once a device or computer is associated with your Apple ID, you cannot associate that device or computer with another Apple ID for 90 days." - Additionally instructions for "Removing an associated device or computer from an Apple ID"
i have a postgraduate degree in mathematics and cannot understand what on earth Apple means by any of this, I am very impressed you seem to be able to get your head around it!
I have given up myself
For most of their policies, Apple seems have put quite a bit of thought into establishing rules that limit unauthorized sharing without being overly onerous to their legitimate customers.
By that standard, this is an epic fail. They've blindly applied a policy to computers which was clearly developed for single user iOS devices. You have to imagine a pretty convoluted case where it will limit unauthorized sharing beyond what the authroization policiies already do, but it can quickly make life miserable for loyal, paying customers.
this is absolutly crazy, i have looked this up for my mum who has same problem downloading her purchases as her and her husband share a computer. apple need to change this its really bad!!
Yup, this is crazy. My wife and I share a computer, but have separate apple IDs, iphones, and ipads. Now that we downloaded one of her itunes purchases to the computer I am locked out of doing the same for 90 days.
We used to buy CDs and rip them into any digital music format onto any device we wanted, and maybe that's still the way to go... hasta la vista, itunes!
A colleague used my ipad to download an app needed urgently to connect to his office server...that left me unable to use my iPad for my own purchases while overseas
I hate this too. I downloaded movies from my friends Ipad onto mine now it won't let me download music on to my ipad device for 79 more days. How is this fair? You are getting punished for sharing, but, they let you buy it and they get money and they don't let you download it onto your device? They give a complicated warning that no one understands, then they steal our money.That is illegal and wrong. I got money for getting straight A's I buy a song, they take my money and say, sorry you have to wait 79 days thanks for the money! How is this even right?? Does anyone else think something odd is going on???
I was having the same issue. I contacted Apple through their online chat and asked them to help me re-download everything onto my computer. They told me to unassociate every other apple ID that may be used on the computer and then they did some Apple magic and allowed me to re-download all my past purchases. Maybe try that, it worked for me!
This is completely screwed up ... *sigh*
Steve Taylor, actually you are 100% wrong. Apple ties a specific device (including computers) to a specific Apple ID and only allows changes every 90 days. Whether or not you have separate user accounts is irreverent. Apple ties the ID to the machine UUID. This is a HUGE "inconvenience" to put it mildly, for thouse of us with multi-user systems.
My girlfriend and I share an iMac. We each have entirely separate user account, preferences, iTunes libraries, etc. We both PAY for our own iTunes Match subscription. Yet we both can't use the service that we BOTH PAY FOR at the same time due to this absurd policy. Whether the blame rests with Apple or the content providers, the policy is ill thought. The potential revenue from both the duplicate iTunes Match subscriptions and frequent duplicate music purchases, will now be reduced to a single subscription and music shared via home sharing. We were willing to pay a permium to keep our music siloed, but Apple had better ideas.
I honestly hate this 90 day thing because I had to share an account with my family when I had an iPod, and now since I have my own phone I have my own account but I can't download my songs that were in the other account. Change this stupid rule apple!
Agreed, I was starting to actually like buying music here until I ran into this issue. I left my laptop at work (which I generally do during the weekdays), came home and had to burn a new cd because the one in my car was messed up. My desktop at home doesn't have a burner, so I used my wifes laptop since it's the only machine left with one in the house of 6 pcs, and of course she has her own Itunes account since we buy different music. My car won't work with mp3 discs, and has no input to work with my smartphone. All I wanted to do was make this new cd and it turnd into this stupid problem! I am considering amazon now, because I should be able to download the music I paid for where ever I authorize the machine! Why have this authorize blah blah machine when you do and it penalizes you?? Shouldn't that occur after you try to authorize past the device amount? Come on apple! Frig sakes, I'm a programmer and I know this isn't that hard to figure out, and I'm not making nearly as much as your coders, I am sure!
Looking at amazon right now.. OH and I own 3 Galaxy's and thought buying from you was a good idea... You have failed here and in ever hopes of getting me to look at other apple products.
No doubt there is some not so clever middle manager rising up the greasy pole having established this annoyance for everyone. Is it any wonder that some now download the files and distribute them without this hindrance. I agree with ssn use amazon. (or spotify or anything but apple)
Wow, I thought buying a Mac for my family would be a great idea. Now, however, with six of us trying to use our Apple IDs on the same computer, we can't download the music we already purchased. We are constantly being punished for trying to use a different Apple ID. Really, really, a bad idea. My little girls are wondering "why is Apple so stupid?". (Not my words)
What should I tell them? "Sorry sweetheart, you can't listen to One Direction on your Mac because.... uh. Yeah, you are licensed for five computers but daddy synced his music within the last 90 days. You have to wait 61 more days. Apple is worried about little girls like you. You might try to steal music. Even though you have been buying it all from iTunes, you could change and start trying to copy things illegally. You might turn out to be a horrible little girl, actually."
I USE ITUNES MATCH NOW AND DON'T SEEM TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM AT ALL ANY MORE.
iMatch great idea at £21.99 a year. Presumably Jimbojj will need 6 of these? And no doubt it will work until apple decides not to support it like mobile me. It's easiest to stick to pirating now thanks to the greed of apple. Find the files and copy them to countless computers. On the bright side this promotes live performance which cuts out this middle MP3 conman!!
Downloading Past Purchases
