Which one of the two ways to turn on iTunes Match in IOS should I use?

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simon2010 Author

Level 1

4 points

Which one of the two ways to turn on iTunes Match in IOS should I use?

I recently had to replace my iPad mini. I restored the mini from the backup file I had created in iTunes from my previous iPad.

When I went to turn on iTunes Match on the iPad I realised there were two ways to do this.

There is a setting in Settings > iTunes & App Stores > iTunes Match

There is also a Settings > Music > iTunes Match

As you may know in Settings > iTunes & App Stores > iTunes Match, the currently used Apple ID associated with iTunes purchases is displayed above the iTunes Match field.

I have two seperate Apple ID's, one for iCloud the other a legacy ID for purchasing.

When I turned on iTunes Match in Settings > iTunes & App Stores > iTunes Match I got the warning asking me if I wanted to change the Apple ID associated with the iPad and that it could only be done once every 90 days.

I cancelled the dialog box, it disappeared and I tried turning on iTunes Match again. This time the warning did not appear. However after a minute or so the switch automatically reverted to the off position.

There was also no activity in Music, usually I would expect to see the iCloud icon and a progress bar.

I checked in Settings > Music > iTunes Match which was also set to off.

I repeated turning on iTunes Match but this time in Settings > Music > iTunes Match. I again got the warning but this time proceeded with the association of the iPad to the account specified above the password field entry in the warning dialog box. (The Apple ID I use for purchasing).

I then went to iTunes on my Mac Account > iTunes in the Cloud > Manage Devices. I removed the reference to what I took to be my old iPad mini and then after a little while my new iPad Mini appeared telling me I would have to wait 90 days to change association again.

Back on my iPad in Music the iCloud icon with progress bar had appeared and everything went as expected with the references to my iTunes Match library appearing to populate the app.

My question is within the above context are the two methods for turning on iTunes Match interchangeable and global or do they invoke the expected Apple ID in different ways pulling the password from different locations? i.e. iCloud and iTunes Stores settings.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Apr 6, 2013 8:31 AM

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Answer 1

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Apr 6, 2013 8:42 AM in response to simon2010

The two settings are interchangeable, and they lead to the same consequences. Turning on iTunes Match, automatic downloads or downloading past purchases all associate your device with the ID being used for such action. Once the association is made, the device cannot be associated with a different ID for 90 days (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4627).

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Answer 2

simon2010 Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 7, 2013 2:03 AM in response to randers4

Dear randers4 many thanks for taking the time to reply, and thank you for your advice.

My problem was that when activating iTunes Match for my iPad mini, with the correct Apple ID associated with the iTunes Stores and iTunes Match showing in the field <Apple ID:> in Settings > iTunes & App Stores my other Apple ID associated with iCloud and not with the iTunes Stores was automatically and silently used.

BTW I had already activated iTunes Match on my MBP some time ago and it is working across all other devices.

Re-reading the help page you reference in your reply I now wonder if before activating iTunes Match on my iPad I should have added the iPad mini through iTunes on my Mac. i.e. Mac Account > iTunes in the Cloud > Manage Devices?

Just to recap this was on an iPad mini that was a replacement for a faulty model and had been restored from a backup from the previous device.

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Answer 3

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Apr 7, 2013 1:33 PM in response to simon2010

simon2010 wrote:

I now wonder if before activating iTunes Match on my iPad I should have added the iPad mini through iTunes on my Mac. i.e. Mac Account > iTunes in the Cloud > Manage Devices?

You can't add a device there, you can only remove one. An iOS device is added by setting the Apple ID in Settings>iTunes & App Stores, then turning on iTunes Match and/or Automatic Downloads, or download previously purchased media. Once the association is made, it can't be associated with a different ID for 90 days.

All you need to do to turn on iTunes Match is sign into the ID you use for iTunes Match in Settings>iTunes & App Stores, then turn iTunes Match to On. If you have mistakenly already associated your device with a different ID, you will have to wait 90 days to change the association. As stated in the linked article, removing the device from the ID in Manage Devices in iTunes doesn't override this 90 day wait period. The only ones who could change this would be iTunes store support, although I'm not sure they could or would. You can always contact them and plead your case though: http://www.apple.com/emea/support/itunes/contact.html.

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Answer 4

simon2010 Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 7, 2013 2:57 PM in response to randers4

Thank you again randers4.

That makes things clear.

What must have happened is that the restored iPad was not associated with any account despite my assumption to the contrary.

When I tried to attach my iTunes Apple ID the first time on the newly restored iPad there must have be a default warning dialog about switching associated Apple ID's even though the iPad was not associated at this point. I say that because the new iPad was not present in the list of managed devices and only appeared after I went ahead with the association (thank you for clearing this point up). I removed the reference to the older defective device too. Additionally when the reference to the new iPad appeared in the list of managed devices in the iTunes Account details > Managed Devices it appeared with a countdown starting at 90 days until another change was possible.

Following on from your advice and for anyone searching for an answer to a similar problem it appears that if you were previously associated in a backup with a (correct) Apple ID account the restore does not re-associate the new device automatically to iTunes Match and that an attempt to manually do that at the prompt results in a warning dialog about time restrictions which in my case led me to believe erroneously that the OS had auto magically associated the device to my iCloud ID (the incorrect ID for iTunes Match).

Thanks again randers4 for helping me.

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Answer 5

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Apr 7, 2013 3:02 PM in response to simon2010

You're very welcome.

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