STJ700
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: How can I separate Itunes accounts without losing anything?

My son and I have been sharing an iTunes account. We would both like to have separate accounts but we don't know how to do that without losing any of our music.

How can we do this?

iPhone 5c, iOS 9.0.2

Posted on Oct 10, 2015 6:44 PM

Close
STJ700

Q: How can I separate Itunes accounts without losing anything?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by morrispe,

    morrispe morrispe Oct 11, 2015 8:48 AM in response to STJ700
    Level 4 (1,227 points)
    Apple Music
    Oct 11, 2015 8:48 AM in response to STJ700

    iTunes music that you purchase and download is not DRM protected so you can separate your music from your son's and he can load his music files into his own instance of iTunes. If he has his own iTunes account going forward then he can purchase new music or sign up for Apple Music as he wishes.

     

    If you maintain the original iTunes account as your own you'll be able to re-download any of the purchased music however your son's account will not show any of these past purchases so you would need to download these songs for him if that is ever required. Movies and Video are DRM protected and bound to the iTunes account for authorization to play them so you won't be able to separate past video purchases.

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Oct 11, 2015 10:05 AM in response to morrispe
    Level 9 (54,642 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 11, 2015 10:05 AM in response to morrispe

    Morrispe pretty much summarizes your options, though you can also look into Home Sharing and Family Sharing as ways to preserve some accessibility to multiple accounts and to DRM content in another account. You cannot merge, split, or join iTunes accounts as such.

     

    Understanding Home Sharing - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3819

     

    iTunes: Setting up Home Sharing on your computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4620

     

    Troubleshooting Home Sharing - http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2972

     

    Article discussing features of HS - http://www.macworld.com/article/1142729/homesharing.html

     

    iTunes Home Sharing now works between users on same computer - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3865597

     

    Family Sharing - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT201060 - "Family Sharing makes it easy for up to six people in your family to share each other’s iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases without sharing accounts. Pay for family purchases with the same credit card and approve kids’ spending right from a parent’s device. And share photos, a family calendar, and more to help keep everyone connected."

     

    Sharing purchased content with Family Sharing - http://support.apple.com/HT201085 - "With Family Sharing, family members get immediate access to each others’ music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps, and can download them to their own devices any time they like.*" "* Not all content and content types are available in all countries. All family members must use the same iTunes Store country or region. Music, movies, TV shows, and books can be downloaded on up to 10 devices per account, five of which can be computers. Apps can be downloaded to any devices the family member owns or controls.