Apple has made it possible for users to move their purchased content, such as apps and music, from one Apple Account to a different one of their choosing. Here’s how it works.
The change was revealed on Tuesday through a support document on the Apple website, which details the exact procedures and requirements for transferring purchases between Apple Accounts. Though the iPhone maker already lets users share purchases via Family Sharing, where all family members have access to apps, books, and movies that individual family members buy, Apple’s latest purchase migration feature has an entirely different purpose.
According to the company’s support document, the purchase transfer feature is intended for users who use two Apple Accounts for different features on their device — a primary account for iCloud and its associated functionality, and a secondary one for the App Store and media purchases.
Even before the company renamed its iconic “Apple ID” to “Apple Account” as part of the iOS 18 update, users have asked for a way to transfer purchases from one account to another without sharing anything. This means that purchases would, ideally, be removed from one account and added to a different one of the user’s choice, and that’s exactly what Apple’s purchase migration feature enables.
Even so, the company has a strict list of requirements and eligibility criteria. For one, the transfer of purchases from one account to another is not available for users in the European Union, United Kingdom, or India. Both accounts need to be set to the same country and region, with two-factor authentication and valid payment methods, while Family Sharing needs to be disabled.
The website also notes that purchases from locked, disabled, deleted, or deactivated accounts can’t be transferred. Purchase migration is also not possible unless the user’s primary account was used for purchases or downloads at least once.
How to migrate your Apple Account purchases
The process of migrating purchases from one Apple Account to another is fairly straightforward. To do so, you can follow the steps below:
- Open the Settings app and tap on your Apple Account name
- Tap “Media and Purchases”
- Scroll down until you see the “Migrate Purchases” option and tap it
After this, you’ll need to review the account information for both your primary and secondary accounts and follow the steps detailed within the Settings app. Once you’ve done that, you should receive confirmation emails on both accounts, notifying you that your purchases have been migrated.
Your secondary account will no longer be usable for purchases, so you should sign out of it once the entire process is complete. Apple has also provided a way of undoing the process, though, as can be seen on the company’s support website.
This story originally appeared on Appleinsider
