Apple Introduces New Tool to Let Users Migrate Digital Purchases Between Two Accounts

Apple introduced a new tool on Tuesday that will allow users to migrate their digital purchases and media data from one Apple account to another. The Cupertino-based tech giant has built the tool for those users who are either using a legacy account since they previously made purchases on the account or those who find managing two accounts cumbersome. The process will allow users to consolidate the data into a single account and ditch the secondary Apple account. However, users will have to ensure certain things before starting the migration process.

Migrate Purchases from One Apple Account to Another

The tech giant has published a support page that details the eligibility criteria for the migration, the things users will have to ensure before migration begins, as well as the method to migrate data from one account to another. Notably, it is an optional feature and Apple users can choose whether to migrate their accounts or not.

If a user chooses to migrate their secondary account, all payment methods associated with that account will also be transferred to the primary Apple account and replace any payment methods associated with the primary account. Any previous purchases of apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books will also be transferred.

Additionally, existing subscriptions, music library data, profile personalisation, social profile, Next Queue in the Apple TV app, and podcast library data will also be migrated to the primary Apple account. Notably, if the primary account has a music library, the music data will not be transferred. This feature is not available to users in the European Union, United Kingdom, or India.

Things to Ensure Before Beginning the Migration Process

Before users consolidate their Apple accounts, they should ensure the following details. The account signed in with iCloud and most features will be referred to as the primary Apple account and the account used just for media and purchases will be referred to as the secondary account.

Users should ensure that they're signed in with two different accounts on their devices and that the secondary account is not part of a different family-sharing group and is not being used for purchase sharing. Users will also have to turn on two-factor authentication in both accounts and ensure both accounts are set to the same country and region.

Additionally, the secondary Apple account should not have any balance remaining, and there should be a gap of 15 days from the last purchase. Once migration is done, the secondary account cannot be used for purchases or media. Users can, however, undo their migration.

How to Migrate Digital Purchases from One Apple Account to Another

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your name, then tap Media & Purchases.
3. Go to View Account and sign in when prompted.
4. Scroll down and tap on Migrate Purchases.
5. Follow the tasks on the screen to complete the migration of purchases to the primary Apple account.
6. When complete, you will see the “Purchases Have Been Migrated” notification. The email addresses associated with both accounts will also receive a confirmation email.
7. Sign out of the secondary account and then sign in with the primary Apple account.