Apple has introduced a new feature enabling users to migrate and merge digital purchases between Apple Accounts, marking a significant development in the company’s efforts to streamline digital content management. The move builds upon Apple’s ongoing enhancements to its identity and authentication systems, following recent updates to its two-factor authentication and security measures.
The migration capability encompasses all digital purchases, including apps, movies, TV shows, and music. Users can transfer content from a secondary Apple Account to a primary account or vice versa, provided certain requirements are met. The consolidation feature addresses a long-standing user request for better digital content management across multiple accounts.
To use this feature, users must have access to the email address, phone number, and password for both accounts. Two-factor authentication must be enabled, reflecting Apple’s ongoing commitment to enhanced security protocols that have been increasingly important in light of recent FBI and CISA warnings about iOS security. Both accounts need to be set up in the same country. The migration process begins in the Settings app, where users navigate to Media and Purchases, select View Account, and choose the Migrate Purchases option.
After migration completion, the secondary Apple Account becomes inactive for purchases, requiring users to sign in with the primary account across all Apple devices. The transfer includes payment methods, subscriptions, Apple TV Up Next queue content, and podcast library data from the secondary account. The comprehensive transfer process supports Apple’s broader strategy of creating seamless digital experiences across its ecosystem.
The feature is available globally, with the exception of the European Union, United Kingdom, and India. The exclusions likely relate to regional digital market regulations, particularly the EU’s Digital Markets Act and similar regulatory frameworks in the UK and India. “If an Apple Account is only used for making purchases, those purchases can be migrated to a primary Apple Account to consolidate them,” Apple’s documentation states.
The account migration feature complements Apple’s expanding digital identity initiatives, which have recently included the integration of digital IDs in Apple Wallet for TSA verification and enhanced security measures across its services platform.
Sources: iPhone in Canada, MacRumors, BGR
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