Scores of Apple users today are likely rejoicing as their digital lives have just gotten a bit less complicated.
Following years of people requesting it, Apple has finally made it possible to migrate purchases made from one Apple Account to another.
Why is this a big deal? These are users who, for years now, have Apple devices that have been straddling a very uncomfortable account divide. Namely, they are signed into their device and iCloud through their primary iCloud account but have to sign in to another account to access their media and app purchases. Why do they have to do this?
The answer really depends on the person, but the simplest way to put it is this: a lot of folks out there have been buying music, movies, and apps with an account they created through the iTunes Store back in the early aughts. Later on, when iCloud accounts were launched (a long and winding road where .Mac accounts became mobileMe accounts which became iCloud accounts) Apple offered no way for you to migrate purchases made on legacy accounts to an iCloud account. So, if you didn’t want to have to abandon or repurchase all the things you bought with that legacy account, you only had one option: sign into iCloud with your primary iCloud account and sign into your other account for “Media & Purchases.”
While this setup works—and has remained supported by Apple all of these years—and is technically fine, it’s not as ideal as just being able to migrate everything to one account so you don’t have to jump through that extra hoop of another account sign in. Today, though, if you want to migrate everything to that one account, you can. Here’s how.
Before you migrate purchases
Before starting this process, Apple says that you need to ensure that you’re signed in with the two different accounts you’re migrating purchases between on your iPhone or iPad. In other words, you need to make sure that your primary iCloud account is signed in under iCloud settings and that your other Apple Account is signed in under Media & Purchases.
To check this, go to Settings > iCloud (tap your name under the search field in Settings) > Media & Purchases. > View Account. If that other account isn’t signed in under Media & Purchases, you’ll need to sign out of the account that is there and sign back in with the account that has purchases you’re hoping to migrate.
You’ll also need to ensure the following is done as well:
- First, ensure you’re OK with the secondary Apple Account no longer being able to be used for Media & Purchases once migration has been completed. Then make sure:
- The secondary Apple Account isn’t a part of a different Family Sharing group, and that it’s not being used for Purchase Sharing. Learn how to leave Family Sharing and turn off Purchase Sharing.
- You’re running the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
- Two-Factor Authentication is turned on for both accounts that you’ll be migrating between.
- That the balance remaining on your secondary Apple Account is at $0.00.
- That there are no rentals or pre-orders associated with your secondary Apple Account.
- That it has been at least 15 days since the last purchase on the secondary account.
- That you have your payment method on file nearby in order to verify the payment method on the secondary Apple Account as part of the migration process. You’ll also need to ensure there are no issues with that payment method.
How to migrate purchases from one Apple Account to another
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
- Tap your name, then tap Media & Purchases.
- Tap View Account. You might be asked to sign in.
- Scroll down, then tap Migrate Purchases.
- Review the information about both accounts, then follow the tasks to complete the migration of purchases to the primary account.
- When complete, you’ll see “Purchases Have Been Migrated”. The email addresses associated with both accounts will also receive a confirmation email.
- Be sure to check your Media & Purchases settings, sign out of the secondary Apple Account, and then sign in with the primary Apple Account.
You might not see Migrate Purchases if you’re not eligible. If you’re not eligible, it’s likely because your secondary account doesn’t meet the requirements laid out above. If you’re unable to complete the migration process, check this Apple Support document under “If you can’t migrate purchases.”
Once you’ve completed purchase migration, sign out of the secondary Apple Account on all of your devices—including Apple TV, HomePod, or other devices with the Apple TV app or Apple Music app. Once you’ve signed out of the secondary account, sign back in on those devices with the primary Apple Account that purchases were migrated to.
It’s also important to note once again that the secondary Apple Account you’re migrating from will no longer be able to be used for Media & Purchases.
Finally, if you’d like to undo a purchase migration between accounts, that’s possible as well. Check out this Apple Support doc if you find yourself in that situation.
Even though Apple doesn’t like it, the wife and I share the same Apple account and Apple ID. We do this because we need to be able to share Contacts.
There are a few minor difficulties in both of us having the same Apple ID, but we have found that having the Contacts in our iPhones absolutely identical is worth any pain we might suffer. These pains are kind of minor and I believe perhaps introduced intentionally by Apple. For example, if someone calls my iPhone, it shows up on the wife’s call history.
Once thing that is not mentioned here is the need to remove family sharing.
What Apple does not explain is whether that applies to the primary account (the one to which you are migrating) and the secondary account (the from which you are migrating) or just the secondary account. I have my primary account set up to share my iCloud storage with my wife and I am not about to turn off sharing for her while this migration takes place as her photos etc. are on the shared iCloud storage account. Who knows what will happen. I have no issue turning off sharing on the secondary account, since I can easily turn it on when done and she will have access to my music and other shared apps. The interrupt will not be terminal….
According to Apple, you don’t need to remove Family Sharing from either account. However, you do have to make sure that the secondary account isn’t part of a different Family Sharing group from the primary account. You also have to make sure that purchase sharing isn’t turned on for the secondary account. To your point, turning off purchase sharing might make this a no-go for some users.