Continuity needs to work with multiple iCloud accounts

Question

Continuity needs to work with multiple iCloud accounts

As it stands at the moment, Continuity (Handoff, Universal Clipboard, iPhone Cellular Calls, SMS/MMS messaging, Instant Hotspot, and Watch Auto Unlock) works, as it says in the instructions, only when "each device is signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID."

However, and i'm sure I can't be alone in this, a household might have one central iMac with lots of other personal devices, each with it's own Apple ID.

For example, we have one iMac and it has an Apple ID. We have an iPad that shares the same account, so that's fab and Continuity works. BUT, my personal iPhone has an Apple ID that's mine, and my partner's has another Apple ID. So, that's 3 Apple IDs but only one device can work with Continuity.

That really doesn't make sense to me, and I do think that the functionality should be expanded so that I can register additional Apple IDs to work with Continuity.

Oh, by the way, the personal accounts are linked to the main Apple ID as Family Sharing members, so most of the admin for this is already there!

Thanks for listenening

iMac, macOS Sierra (10.12), iPhone 6, Apple Watch & iPad Air 2

Posted on Feb 9, 2017 6:38 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

215,778 points

Feb 9, 2017 9:13 AM in response to Peter. Vandoorn

Create a separate user account on the Mac for each family member. That way each family member can use their Apple ID for continuity when they are on the Mac. Each will get their own email, messages, etc., separate for the rest of the family.

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Answer 2

Feb 9, 2017 8:34 AM in response to dwb

OK, so it wouldn't work for you, so in your case you'd have the option to turn it off. That's the thing - there is no option one way or the other!

It would be beneficial to have granular control over it anyway, by choosing which services you want to use and which you don't. You could even have "sets" so you could quickly switch between settings.

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Answer 3

Feb 9, 2017 6:50 AM in response to KiltedTim

Yes, it would indeed be very bad for it to just work with any passing device, but I would be the one giving permission for the the Apple IDs to work with Continuity.

So, only accounts which I add, and which I approve through the normal 2 factor authentication, would work.

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Answer 4

dwb

Level 7

33,256 points

Feb 9, 2017 8:27 AM in response to Peter. Vandoorn

Let me suggest just one of the problems this would cause. I'm in the den with my wife and two kids. The kids are on their phones doing whatever it is teens do on their phones every waking minute, my wife is reading on her iPad, and I boot up the family iMac to play a little Diablo 3. Before I can get started the iMac rings. It's for Pete. A few minutes later it rings again, Jessie this time. Now I'm staring a greater rift when my wife gets a call from her mom.

Utter chaos. Sorry, no.

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Answer 5

dialabrain

Level 10

136,127 points

Feb 9, 2017 6:52 AM in response to Peter. Vandoorn

If you'd like to suggest your idea to Apple…

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

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Answer 6

KiltedTim

Level 10

226,080 points

Feb 9, 2017 6:45 AM in response to Peter. Vandoorn

Bad idea. Then you're potentially handing things off to other devices in range that you don't intend or want to share. There is a reason it's personal...

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Answer 7

SiHancox

Level 5

4,953 points

Feb 9, 2017 7:22 AM in response to Peter. Vandoorn

Multiple Apple ID's for Continuity! - doesn't bear thinking about, it's taken Apple quite a while to get the current system working how it was originally intended, could we survive 😉

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