How Do You Add Another Apple Id

It's a mutual trouble of the modern age: how to share merely enough with a partner or with your family unit, simply not your personal stuff, like emails and messages. An Apple tree ID is designed to exist a unique identifier you lot can utilise across all Apple services and purchases, simply Apple recognized that for legacy and other reasons, it had to separate iCloud-continued stuff, iMessage and FaceTime, and iTunes Store and diverse App Stores purchases.

If you only share the same Apple tree ID among everyone, every bit one Macworld reader discovered, all your private communication and information appears for all devices (and people) logged into the aforementioned account. Instead, you lot split upwards roles within iOS and macOS by account.

Each person has to set or already have their own personal Apple tree ID that they use with iCloud e-mail, contacts, and calendar entries, and which they use to log into iMessage and FaceTime. A 3rd (or subsequent) Apple ID tin be entirely devoted to purchases.

The example that follows assumes two people; I recommend Family Sharing later in this column as an culling for a duo and a recommendation for iii or more.

Ready iOS and iPadOS

In iOS and iPadOS, set up this 2 Apple ID split in Settings. If y'all haven't yet logged into an iCloud business relationship, you start past using your unique Apple ID for iCloud. If you're already logged into it, Settings will show your name and avatar, and you lot can tap that to go to iCloud and other settings.

In that second screen, tap iTunes & App Store. Tap the Apple ID at the pinnacle if an account is already logged in. Tap Sign Out. And then tap to sign in and enter the shared-purchase Apple ID account. Repeat these steps on all devices, ensuring y'all beginning with the Apple tree ID used for iCloud earlier proceeding to log in separately with the purchase account.

You may also take to log in or change settings for iMessage and FaceTime.

For iMessage, become to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive and tap the Apple ID to change information technology if necessary.
For FaceTime, visit Settings > FaceTime, and likewise tap the Apple tree ID if information technology'due south the wrong 1.

Fix up on the Mac

In macOS 10.14 Mojave and earlier, use the iCloud preference pane to log into your personal iCloud business relationship. And then launch iTunes, Books, and the Mac App Store to switch those to the shared-buy Apple ID. Utilise Account > Sign Out in iTunes and Store > Sign Out in Books and the App Store.

In macOS 10.15 Catalina and the upcoming macOS eleven Big Sur, use the Apple ID preference pane's Overview tab to check which account yous're signed into. If none, sign into your personal Apple tree ID account here. Then open App Shop, Books, Music, and Tv set—whichever of those you apply—to switch them to your shared-purchase Apple ID. (The Podcasts app picks up its account settings from the App Store.) Click Account > Sign Out or Store > Sign Out depending on the app.

mac911 logout tv app catalina — The Goggle box app—one of the many places in macOS you can manage or change the Apple ID associated with an app's purchases.

A couple may want to use Family Sharing instead, which keeps anybody's accounts personal and individual, but allows most purchases to be accessed past other members of the sharing set. I recommend information technology for whatsoever family unit group of three or more than people; information technology can handle up to half dozen.

1 drawback to Family unit Sharing has been that App Store subscriptions and in-app purchases (IAPs) accept not been shareable to date. However, with macOS 11 Big Sur and iOS/iPadOS 14 due out later in the year, developers will be immune to let subscriptions and IAPs be eligible for Family unit Sharing, also.

For more on Family Sharing, see Mac 911 columns on "Save iCloud storage costs with Family unit Sharing" and "Why can't Family Sharing include more vi people?"

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Del.

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