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My family shares one Apple ID on multiple devices. How do I switch everyone over to their own Apple ID without having to erase their iphones and ipads?

My family currently shares one Apple ID on multiple devices and has for quite awhile. How do I switch everyone over to their own Apple ID and the Family Sharing without having to erase their iphones and ipads?

iOS 8.1.2

Posted on Dec 28, 2014 10:36 PM

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Posted on Nov 28, 2017 10:00 AM

Since iCloud is intended to be used by a single person for their individualized information, sharing an iCloud account with the intent, I'm guessing is to share things like Contacts? would be better served by looking into Apple's various Enterprise programs.


I am not deeply familiar with how they work in specific areas, but they are designed to help the Enterprise to make the best use of the Apple Environment. This are some contact links that may help:


Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple


Business - Apple


Business & Education - Official Apple Support


Best of luck,


GB

18 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Nov 28, 2017 10:00 AM in response to furniture77

Since iCloud is intended to be used by a single person for their individualized information, sharing an iCloud account with the intent, I'm guessing is to share things like Contacts? would be better served by looking into Apple's various Enterprise programs.


I am not deeply familiar with how they work in specific areas, but they are designed to help the Enterprise to make the best use of the Apple Environment. This are some contact links that may help:


Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple


Business - Apple


Business & Education - Official Apple Support


Best of luck,


GB

Nov 29, 2017 8:00 PM in response to furniture77

I'm not sure what it is you are asking about, but in every company I have worked, if we want multiple employees to have access to documents on in single place, we use shared Network Drives.


Again, iCloud is not a "shared" drive intended to be used by multiple people.


Perhaps you can take a moment to fully explain what your set up is, and what it is you are trying to do.


GB

Dec 29, 2014 1:12 PM in response to cluther1

It will not affect the content of the devices, however, when an app purchased with the "Family ID" needs to be updated, the person who has the device will need to know the Family ID password in order to update the app. Or, they can delete the app and re-purchase or re-download it (if it is free), under their own Apple ID.


You can continue to back up to iTunes. You should make sure you sign on each Apple ID to iTunes and Authorize the computer for that Apple ID (top menu - Store>Authorize this Computer).


You may find this article helpful if you want to have separate iTunes Libraries for each user:


http://www.imore.com/how-use-multiple-apple-ids-one-computer-and-itunes


You can also continue to use a single Apple ID for iTunes, and the individual Apple IDs for everything else (Mail, Messages, FaceTime, iCloud, etc.). To do that, you would simply leave the Settings>iTunes & App Store sign on alone on each device (leave it signed onto the Family iTunes Account Apple ID).


Cheers,


GB

Dec 30, 2014 11:04 AM in response to letpeaceprevail

Your point is well taken. I missed the OP's line about Family Sharing.


So, for cluther1, you may want to look at this article on how to set up Family Sharing. If you are OK with paying for all purchases with a single Credit Card, then this would be the way you would want to go:


Overview: https://www.apple.com/ios/whats-new/family-sharing/


Family Sharing Setup Guide: https://www.apple.com/icloud/family-sharing/


Thanks for pointing that out, letpeaceprevail!


Cheers,


GB

Dec 30, 2014 11:48 AM in response to gail from maine

A

THank you, Gail from Maine, for taking the time to reply.


WHen I asked the question, "What's the benefit of "Family Sharing" at all?" I was not being sarcastic; it was a sincere question. I had been trying to set up Family Sharing, and I found that we would have to lose all of our old data. Additionally, not all Apps can be shared with Family Sharing.


So even though the idea sounds good to prevent those situations when there are fears that children will buy their own content using the parent's Apple ID, Family Sharing has a good many drawbacks.


SO, sincerely, "What's the benefit of "Family Sharing" at all?"


thank you you for your time.

Dec 30, 2014 12:16 PM in response to letpeaceprevail

Not sure where you are running into trouble. Why would you lose all of your old data? If you all were using a single Apple ID before, and that Apple ID is used as the Organizer's ID (or anyone else's ID who is in the Family Sharing group), the content purchased by that Apple ID would be available to all members in the Family Sharing group.


What do you mean by all Apps cannot be shared by the whole group? What apps are you having issues with.


Can you provide some info about what you are specifically having issues with, and why you feel that you lost all of your data?


Cheers,


GB

Dec 30, 2014 4:16 PM in response to gail from maine

Thank you again for your time, GB.


I set up individual Apple ID's for my children so that they could have their own Apple ID on their individual iPad minis (gifts from grandparents last year). When I go to iCloud under Settings, I see my Apple ID listed at the top, then my children's listed under Family Sharing. So the device is still using my Apple ID for iCloud, iTunes, etc., correct?


To "assign" their own Apple ID to their own iPad mini, I would need to "Sign Out" from my Apple ID. When I attempt to do so, I receive a warning that all of the Documents and Data will be lost/deleted.


So, instead of doing this, I figured out that I could do what you suggested. Signing in using a child's Apple ID will allow her/him to use Game Center, FaceTime, and Messages just fine. However, using their Apple ID for iTunes & App Store proved to be a problem: Purchased Music and Movies appeared in iTunes, but my Purchased Apps did not appear. Some Apps even disappeared, e.g. Proloquo4Text (a $99 app to help my son speak with his iPad).


So I reverted to using my Apple ID for iTunes & App Store, and I get everything that I want, EXCEPT for the iCloud storage for each Apple ID.


So that's when I started wondering how Family Sharing was really benefiting me ~ It was a lot of work (deleting apps to allow space to download iOS 8, etc) without any benefit that I can see. UNLESS I find a means to allow me to sign in each iPad's iCloud account with a different AppleID, then perhaps restore the Documents and Data from a backup? Would that work?


Thanks.

Dec 30, 2014 9:03 PM in response to letpeaceprevail

OK, so with Family Sharing, if you are the "Organizer", then you invite your individual children, spouse, etc. to join your Family Sharing Plan.


However, in order for Family Sharing to work correctly, each device needs to be signed onto it's own Apple ID in iCloud and iTunes. Once each is signed onto their individual Apple IDs on their devices, they will be able to see all of the other members' purchases under Purchased, and will be able to download what they wish from those other accounts.


You do get a warning from iCloud whenever you sign it out telling you that documents, data, PhotoStream will be deleted from the device. But, unless your family members have a lot of documents on their devices that were under that iCloud account, not sure why that is an issue? The documents and data are not deleted from the iCloud account they belong to, they are just no longer accessible on that device via iCloud, since a different iCloud account will be signed on.


Can you expand on what kinds of documents and data you would want to retain on a given device (other than the one that is signed onto the original iCloud account)?


Cheers,


GB

Apr 18, 2016 5:19 PM in response to gail from maine

gail from mainCan you answer her question? i am curious my self and also in the same boat! "UNLESS I find a means to allow me to sign in each iPad's iCloud account with a different AppleID, then perhaps restore the Documents and Data from a backup? Would that work?" If that doesn't work then you are saying another option is that once we sign out of iCloud on all the devices and put new ones in. The messages, contacts, apps, music, notes, etc. will still be on the phone? I Have been researching this for a while and i need a lot of help! thank you!

Apr 18, 2016 6:58 PM in response to Beachbumben92

I don't really use Documents and Data so not sure what the best way to get those on individual iCloud accounts would be. You would not be able to get documents and data from a backup because the backup is tied to the iCloud ID. Only Contacts kept on an individual device and allowed to be merged with your own iCloud contacts when you sign on your iCloud account.


If you have a specific configuration that you are looking to set up, then please explain what it is you want to do, and we will see if we can provide suggestions.


Cheers,


GB

My family shares one Apple ID on multiple devices. How do I switch everyone over to their own Apple ID without having to erase their iphones and ipads?

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