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For years, Apple users have been asking for a way to merge purchases from different accounts. If you've been around since the early days of iTunes, MobileMe, or .Mac, chances are you've got a few scattered accounts with old music, movies, or apps. Finally, Apple has introduced a way to migrate purchases from one Apple ID to another, and it's about time.
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Maybe you've got that one account with a single album you bought back in 2004 or an old work account where you accidentally bought your favorite game. This new feature lets you consolidate those purchases into a single, primary account. It's a bit of a process, but once it's done, you won't need to remember multiple logins just to find your favorite content.
What you'll need:A primary Apple Account, which you use regularly for iCloud, purchases, and subscriptions, as well as a secondary account with the purchases you want to move. You must be signed in to them to begin migration. You'll also need an iPhone or iPad running the latest iOS 18.3.1 (or later) software.
Make sure you're signed in to your primary Apple Account under Settings.
For your secondary account: Go to Settings, tap [Your Name] and then Media & Purchases, and select View Account (you might be asked to sign in) in the pop-up. Editing your account will take you to account.apple.com.
Both accounts need to have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled.
To turn on 2FA: Go to Settings, tap [Your Name] and then Sign In & Security, and follow the prompts to set it up if it's not already.
If the secondary account has any active rentals, pre-orders, or purchases from the last 15 days, you'll need to either wait it out or cancel them.
To check your purchase history:Go to Settings, tap [Your Name] and then Media Purchases, and tap Puchase History.
If your secondary account has leftover credit, spend it. Apple won't let you move purchases if there's any balance left.
To check your balance:Open the Settings app, tap your name to access your Apple ID setting, look for the Media and Purchases option and tap on it, select View Account in the pop-up, and you will see the balance of your account.
Make sure both accounts have valid, up-to-date payment methods. Apple will ask you to verify the secondary account's payment method during the migration.
To update payment methods:Open the Settings app on your Apple device, tap your Apple ID name at the top of the Settings menu, and select "Payment & Shipping" from the options to update your payment methods.
Under Settings and Media & Purchases, if you do not see a Migrate Purchases option, you're not eligible to actually migrate any purchases. If this is you, Apple has a support page for checking what to do before migration.
To start the migration process on your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Media & Purchases > View Account. Scroll down and tap Migrate Purchases. Follow the instructions.
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You'll need to review the information about both accounts, and when done, you'll see "Purchases Have Been Migrated". The emails associated with both accounts will also receive a confirmation email
Once the migration is done, sign out of the secondary account on all devices, including Apple TVs and HomePods. From there, you can sign back in with your primary account to access your merged purchases.
You can migrate purchases between two Apple Accounts that aren't child accounts and haven't been previously migrated.
You must also meet all the requirements -- which I discuss in this guide -- but Apple has a support page with detailed information. For example, make sure both accounts have two-factor authentication enabled. The accounts must also share the same country/region, and they can't have active purchases or rentals from the last 15 days. Don't forget to spend any remaining balance, too.
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Apple also said this migration feature isn't available to users in the EU, UK or India.
It might be because either account is a child account, part of a Family Sharing group, or has music libraries on both accounts. If so, the migration won't work. Also, if your primary account has never been used for a purchase or free download, you can't migrate.
All eligible apps, music, movies, and books from the secondary account move to the primary account. The secondary account's payment methods transfer over as well. Cloud data like photos, notes, and files stay put. The secondary account can also no longer be used for Media & Purchases. If you try signing in with it, you'll be prompted to sign in with the primary account instead.
Yes, you can undo the migration, but you'll lose any purchases made after the migration. You'll also need to wait a full year before you can try migrating purchases again. Apple has a support page explaining how to undo a migration between accounts.
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