Halfback71
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: We have a large family, 5 kids and two adults all with iPads, iPhones, Mac Books, Servers....  How can we combine our purchases to use on all our devices.  We have two Apple ID's and sometimes buy multiple copies because of how we are limited...

We have a large family, 5 kids and two adults all with iPads, iPhones, Mac Books, Servers....  How can we combine our purchases to use on all our devices.  We have two Apple ID's and sometimes buy multiple copies because of how we are limited...

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 1, 2014 3:44 PM

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Halfback71

Q: We have a large family, 5 kids and two adults all with iPads, iPhones, Mac Books, Servers....  How can we combine our purchas ... more

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  • by mario49,

    mario49 mario49 Feb 3, 2014 7:09 AM in response to Halfback71
    Community Specialists
    Feb 3, 2014 7:09 AM in response to Halfback71

    Hello Halfback71,

     

    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

    For more information on this, take a look at:

     

    Frequently asked questions about Apple ID

    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5622

     

    I have multiple Apple IDs. Is there a way for me to merge them into a single Apple ID?

    Apple IDs cannot be merged. You should use your preferred Apple ID from now on, but you can still access your purchased items such as music, movies, or software using your other Apple IDs.

    If you are wondering how using multiple Apple IDs relate to iCloud, see Apple IDs and iCloud.

     

     

    Best of luck,

    Mario

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Feb 3, 2014 8:47 AM in response to mario49
    Level 9 (54,628 points)
    Mac OS X
    Feb 3, 2014 8:47 AM in response to mario49

    Apple IDs cannot be merged.

    Halfback71 - Remember this works both ways.  Neither can purchases be split off.  In a few years' time when your kids are thinking of leaving the nest it may be you won't want all your purchses lumped under one account.

     

    I don't know the details of sharing items purchased under different accounts on devices (especially not apps) but you can do it to a fair extent as long as you are in one house.  Others can answered detailed questions but my suggestion would be if anything you should start thinking of each child having their own AppleID and account.