MacRumors has learned that Apple is working on a process to merge multiple Apple IDs into a single login. The issue of juggling multiple Apple ID logins has been a minor inconvenience in the past, but with the early developer testing of iOS 5 and iCloud, users have found it to be a major issue.
TUAW described the problem back in July, and the answer at that time was that there was no way to consolidate Apple IDs:
Some readers have been managing two Apple IDs on purpose and are now frustrated about the fact that Apple is restricting logins for automatic downloads. Others have only just discovered that they have two IDs. Most of them have already contacted Apple, only to be given the same answer without exception: Apple will not consolidate Apple ID accounts.
MobileMe users especially have found that they now have at least two Apple IDs, their original one and their MobileMe account. Juggling multiple logins while using Apple's Automatic Downloads can be a particular chore since you can't easily switch between logins. Apple locks devices to a single Apple ID for 90 days, preventing any rapid switching between accounts.
Apple has provided no official guidance on the issue, except to state that Apple IDs can not be consolidated at this time.
MacRumors reader Robert emailed Apple CEO Tim Cook about the issue, and quickly received a phone call from an Apple executive relations employee. She had spoken to the team responsible for Apple IDs and acknowledged that they understood the issue and that more people would run into the problem with iCloud. She also repeated that there is no way yet to combine accounts but revealed they are working on it. In the meantime, she recommended picking a single account to plan on keeping indefinitely and to make all future purchases on that account.
Apple's Tim Cook has been particularly responsive to customer emails and inquiries. In a previous example, a user emailed Cook about iTunes Match availability in Canada. That user got a quick reply from Apple's Senior Vice President for Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue. Apple has announced it will be launching iCloud and iOS 5 to users "this fall".
Update: Another user reports hearing the same information after emailing Tim Cook over the same issue.
It is about time they sorted this out. Having to constantly switch between IDs, especially when doing something such as updating or downloading a free application, is very frustrating.
I'm glad they're working on this. It'll be useful for many people... and it's about time too!
EDIT - I wonder if they'd ever also set up a system where you could also have multiple accounts linked together... like an umbrella account with sub-accounts. I think it would be useful for families, where the spouses and kids would have separate but linked accounts... I don't know, I think that might be useful in some scenarios... maybe?
Not only should Apple absolutely support AppleID consolidation / merging, it shocks me that they haven't yet made such a feature available to customers who buy iTunes songs and movies, ultimately licensing those media files to that particular account forever.
Personally, I have a MobileMe account I use for everything except iTunes Store. I have a separate Apple ID for that and would LOVE to merge the two.
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by Aaron Perris
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by Juli Clover
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...
Top Rated Comments
I'm glad they're working on this. It'll be useful for many people... and it's about time too!
EDIT - I wonder if they'd ever also set up a system where you could also have multiple accounts linked together... like an umbrella account with sub-accounts. I think it would be useful for families, where the spouses and kids would have separate but linked accounts... I don't know, I think that might be useful in some scenarios... maybe?
Why create a new thread. It is a continuation of the discussion on the same topic.
Not only should Apple absolutely support AppleID consolidation / merging, it shocks me that they haven't yet made such a feature available to customers who buy iTunes songs and movies, ultimately licensing those media files to that particular account forever.
Personally, I have a MobileMe account I use for everything except iTunes Store. I have a separate Apple ID for that and would LOVE to merge the two.
:apple::apple:
they need to get rid of 5 "Computers" restriction, it was mainly for this reason why people choose to have (and still have) multiple apple id's.