Two devices on one iCloud account - how to separate?

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murray2013 Author

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Two devices on one iCloud account - how to separate?

Our family has two iPhones, one a 3 and one a 4s. We just added the 3 to the iTunes account when we got it, it wasn't really a problem that our contacts were synced or new app downloads were until today. I (on the 4s) downloaded a new software update - iOs 6.1.3, and after it had downloaded it was doing the installation questions and showed both of the numbers attached to the iCloud account, I just clicked continue continue etc (whoops). And now I'm receiving the texts that are going to the iPhone 3, so if the iPhone 4 texts the iPhone 3, the iPhone 3 receieves the message like normal, and it send normally on the iPhone 4 but then it also "receives" it on the 4 on a new thread - as if another phone has sent it. Basically I think i've accidently set my iPhone 4 to use both numbers. How can I change this? Not desperate to be receiving all the texts that the iPhone 3 is supposed to be getting!

Also, with regard to setting up a new iCloud account for the iPhone 3 (this is more practical since I have had the iPhone 4 for longer and therefore have more stuff on it), would it be best to take it into an apple shop, in the hope they would be able to back up the stuff that is on her phone (ie contacts and pictures that she can't afford to lose) and then create a new account and then put everything back onto the phone? Or would the phone keep the contacts/photos if there isn't an iCloud attached to it? Could we do this from the computer that her iPhone 3 is synced to?

Help!

Thanks!

iPhone 4, iOS 6.1.3

Posted on Jun 28, 2013 11:34 AM

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Answer 1

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randers4

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Jun 28, 2013 11:46 AM in response to murray2013

Is your second phone an iPhone 3, or a 3GS? If it's a 3GS, are both phones signed into the same iCloud account?

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Answer 2

murray2013 Author

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Jul 13, 2013 7:24 AM in response to randers4

It's a 3GS and yes they are both attached to the same iCloud account

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Answer 3

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Jul 13, 2013 8:13 AM in response to murray2013

The reason you are receiving each other's text messages is because you are both using the same Apple ID for iMessage. To prevent this you need to use different IDs. (Note: you can still share the same ID for iTunes.) On one of the phones, go to Settings>Messages>Send & Receive, tap the ID, sign out, then sign back in with a separate ID.

To migrate your 3GS to a new iCloud account, start by saving any photo stream photos that you want to keep on the phone to your camera roll. To do this, open the my photo stream album, tap Edit, tap the photos, tap Share, tap Save to Camera Roll. Next, if you have any notes that you are syncing with iCloud that you want to keep, you'll need to email these to yourself so they can be recreated after moving to the new account.

Once this is done, go to Settings>iCloud, scroll to the bottom and tap Delete Account. (This will only delete the account from this phone, not from iCloud. The phone that will be keeping the account will not be effected by this.) When prompted about what to do with the iCloud data, choose Keep On My iPhone. Next, sign back in with a different Apple ID to create the new account, turn iCloud data syncing preferences and when prompted about merging with iCloud, choose Merge. This will upload the data to the new account.

Finally, if you have merged data in the two accounts that you want to separate you will have to go to icloud.com from your computer, sign into each iCloud account separately and manually delete the data you don't want from each account.

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