How do I merge two ITunes accounts?

Ya know, it would be really helpful if you would tell us then, HOW to do this! "However, you can put all the content into one library". I am sorry but this is ridiculous. Apple will lose so many customers if they don't figure out a way to let a person who has legit purchased songs on two different iTunes accounts, decide to no longer use one of those (and delete that account) after copying/merging or whatever term is appropriate, to the main account.

I know that there is a way around this or to do this....I am not sure how to do it.....but I am gonna find out.

As noted by Alex, Apple does not provide a way to merge accounts. Anything purchased from the iTunes Store is perpetually associated with the account from which it was originally purchased.

However, you can put all the content into one library. (I bring this up because that is what many people on this forum are really asking about when they as about merging accounts.) Pick the library you want to use and add all missing content to that one. If your content includes any "protected" content from the iTunes Store, you will have to authorize to the account(s) from which the content was purchased.

"Pick the library you want to use, and add all missing content to that one. If your content includes any "protected" content from the iTunes Store, you will have to authorize to the account(s) from which the content was purchased."

Can you please clarify how we can "add all the missing content" to the new preferrred account? Since these were itunes songs purchased through the Itunes store, I am not understanding how we can download them from the store while using itunes which is now tied to our new account.

Yeah, I asked apple about this a couple of times. Seems like even though I have a single iCloud account which knows about my 2 different email addresses, my iTunes accounts are associated with "each" email address. Seems like a simple database merge problem, but, no, Apple wants to be a prickly pear about this. I have a bunch of purchases "here@yahoo.com" and a bunch of purchases and my iCloud account on "There@mac.com". If I accidentally associate a iTunes gift card to one account they can't even transfer the amount of credit to the other account so I can consolidate my gifts and purchases.

I'm sure there's some really difficult situation that causes this. Maybe they keep older iTunes accounts on a green screen AS400 machine from IBM in a dark room in Cupertino -something silly and anachronistic like that-and iCloud is on their modern hosting platform which would have convert old EBCDIC to UNICODE or something. Oooo.

Really apple, Siri on MacOS Sierra Beta just told me that you have 115,000 employees...but none of them can solve this simple 1980's database transform and merge problem...and its not like you can't dip into your cash hoard and make customers happy for a couple hundred thousand dollars.

I've mostly given up and go through this very NON-Apple-simplcity way of dealing with it. I log in and out of accounts on any device when I need to get to the other account. Then I check in every year or so and write one of this ridiculous missives.

Another thing you can do:

If you have an iPhone or iPod with one of the accounts, plug a usb/charger into the computer with the oppsite account. Afterwards you can download the items from mobile account to the opposing account and use that account/pass.

Hope I helped!!!

-Cailey T.

I wrote a letter to Tim Cook after spending an inordinate amount of time on Apple problems, this being one of them. They referrred me to am Analyst in Mr.Cook's office who was very kind and tenacious is resolving my issues.

When I purchased my first Mac, I was encouraged to set up an Apple ID even though all my data was on an Apple ID that I had been using on my iphones.

The gentleman man looked up the answer and told me the issue was regarding "copyright law." i am wondering whether Apple encouraged us to set up a new account to be able to control what music was put into it so they would not be sued for other people wanting to add music they didn't pay for to the Apple account. I'm sure that is a significant amount of money to Apple and they decided they wanted to avoid the issue altogether regardless of whether you downloaded your own cd's, bought music from another internet source or even purchased it with an Apple gift card.

I have a legal question. About who should be liable--Apple for enxouraging us to set up an Apple ID for that purpose and therefore avoiding the copyright issue without telling us what they were doing? Are they doing that to kick us out in the cold make any trademark issues our liability?

Does anyone knows how icrosoft handles this issue?

I have 2 apple ID's - one that I created for Apps and Music (very long time ago) and then when using MobileMe I wound up with another Apple ID where all my Data (Notes, Files, etc) are stored.

While trying to resolve the 'merge accounts' question for the 4th time, I found this:

- https://blog.xojo.com/2013/06/20/merging-icloudapple-id-accounts/

I have not tested it. I can't confirm it works. But hopefully this will help someone else.

If it works for you, please let me know what you did and how it went! mayagayam at gmail.

Thanks!

Hello HEScruggs,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

You cannot merge multiple Apple ID accounts into one. See below for more information.

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.

Frequently asked questions about Apple ID

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5622

Take care,

Alex H.

hello ed2345.

how do we merge accounts?

Hello Denise,

As noted above by Alex, "You cannot merge multiple Apple ID accounts into one."

However, you can put all the content into a single iTunes library. Pick the library you want to use, and add all missing content to that one. If your content includes any "protected" content from the iTunes Store, you will have to authorize to the account(s) from which the content was purchased.

HAve this same question.. Seems apple will take the same credit card on different accounts but wont let u merge previously purchased content from different but same user.. Burning all my content to disk backup and transfering it to "Android Phone " if I paid for it , it should be excessable over any accounts!

cathyfromantigo wrote:

HAve this same question.. Seems apple will take the same credit card on different accounts but wont let u merge previously purchased content from different but same user.. Burning all my content to disk backup and transfering it to "Android Phone " if I paid for it , it should be excessable over any accounts!

Cathy,

Sorry, what is your question?

You can store content from many different sources and iTunes account in one library. You can copy it from wherever it is now to one computer.

You can redownload it from iTunes into one computer.

Download past purchases from iTunes in the Cloud - Apple ...

Hahaha. "Cannot be merged". More like "WON'T" be merged. Apple doesn't WANT people to merge accounts, despite every other tech company in the universe allowing you to.

This is what I am going to do. I have a similar problem with purchases on my business account which I want to move to my personal account.

All my personal email is in my me.com address.

All my purchases, contact, calendar, etc. are in my business account.

I want to keep my personal email address and my business purchases, contacts, etc.. I can export and re-import my calendar and contact from one to the other.

I will create a family share with my personal account and add my family, plus my own personal account as one of the family member. This way the purchases I made with my business accounts with be shared. And I will use my personal account only from now on.