How to move digital purchases between two Apple Accounts

Apple has finally allowed users to transfer digital content (such as movies and apps) between two Apple accounts! Whether you are using two accounts at the same time, migrating from an old account to a new account, or for other reasons, you can now easily transfer your digital content.

Some important details need to be paid attention to: for example, iCloud data is not included and needs to be processed separately. Additionally, personalized recommendations in the secondary account will be abandoned after all content is migrated to the primary account. If you need to do this, follow these steps:

Preparation

This process focuses on migrating purchased apps, music, books, shows, and movies from one Apple account (secondary account) to another (primary account). You need to know the email address or phone number and password for both accounts, and the account should not be shared with others (for example, should not be shared with "family shares").

Both accounts require two-factor authentication to be enabled, and both accounts need to be set to the same country as they are in terms of purchase. Make sure you are running the latest version of iOS or iPadOS on your device – you need an iPhone or iPad to complete the process.

In addition to migrating purchases from secondary accounts to primary accounts, subscriptions and payment methods are also migrated. If you have Apple Music and Apple Podcasts set up, this information also transfers and replaces equivalent data on the primary account—so if this applies to you, make sure the primary account library can be overwritten.

The secondary account will be retained, but you will no longer be able to use it to make any purchases – all purchases will be transferred to the primary account. If you have the remaining balance in your secondary account (for example, from a gift card), spend it all and clear it before starting the migration process.

Lastly, before starting the migration, make sure you have the payment information for both accounts (such as a debit card): After all the content migration is completed, you will be asked to verify the payment information, after which you can use the main account to make all purchases.

Migrate purchase content

A lot of information is needed before starting, but the actual migration process is relatively simple. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings screen, tap your name, and then click Media & Purchase Items: This should be a secondary account, unlike the primary account of the device.

If not, log out first and then log in to your secondary Apple account here. You can then click View Account, scroll down, and select Migrate Purchase. Before you start the transfer, you have the opportunity to view all the information for both accounts and everything you want to migrate.

Apple does not provide an estimate of how long it takes for everything, but you should receive a confirmation on the screen when it is finished. An email will also be sent to the inbox of both accounts to inform the process is completed.

At this point, you can log in to the main account in the Media & Purchase Items section of Settings. To some extent, this is actually a merger of two accounts, not a transfer, so keep this in mind: it is actually designed for users who have old accounts and want to migrate to a single account.

You can undo the migration if you want, but not everything will be rolled back (payment information will be lost, so you will need to reset it). If you want to undo the migration, go to Settings on your device, click on your name, and then click Media & Purchase Items: Select View Account and select Undo Migration to start the process. If you undo the migration, you will be blocked from migrating again with the same account for one year.

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