Help needed. I seem to have hit a problem no-one else has hit, and I can’t believe it, but that is what all the apple support people tell me.
I have used apple since the mid 90s. Like many I had an Apple ID back in the day and was then forced to create another Apple ID when iCloud came about. So, two IDs. I ended up with one ID for iCloud and one for App Store purchases and subscriptions. I was paying for the 2Tb iCloud storage.
Then came Apple One. It made sense for me to choose the highest tier, which has 2Tb of iCloud storage. However there does not seem to be a way to simply transition my existing iCloud data including family phone and iPad back ups and documents from 3 computers into the ‘new’ account. If I sign in with my apple one ID all my iCloud data is gone, including contacts and access to my iCloud email. If I sign back in with iCloud ID its back again.
I can’t believe apple didn’t offer a solution. After many calls I ended up on the phone with a senior service advisor and he was stumped. I really don’t want to be paying for 2Tb of storage AND the Apple One + account.
Worst, I am currently on a limited internet plan at home (long story) and managed to chew through half a months allowance in a day before I pulled the plug on the machine. I have now moved my desktop to another location and can reconnect to the internet, but haven’t figured out how to make the switch.
@Coulmac I haven’t hit your issue, but here are my suggestions. They may not work because I am not sure which data is connected to which account. Here are hopefully some safe assumptions.
Potential Answers (more manual labor)
You have 2 IDs, one for iCloud and then App Purchase/Subscriptions.
Make the iCloud part of the Family Sharing, this would give you access to the purchases/subscriptions
Make the account responsible for Contacts (if that’s the concern) export to Gmail, then re-import under the appropriate account (assuming you want to sync in that way versus just from Google)
Download iMazing and do backups of all your devices so that you can safely delete the current backups (and then backup again under the appropriate account)
While I may be misreading your post, it does seem like what @FrMichaelFanous indicated for step one may be a solution. I have another account from a while back that we added to the family and all seems to be working and sharing OK with Apple One. That account was the old account that has some older apps purchased through the App Store, but contained contacts and emails.
Since Apple One is a monthly plan, couldn’t you cancel the plan on the account that is not connected to anything and resubscribe on the account that is connected to everything?
I would probably still add the other account to the family account, but that is just because that is what we did early on in the Family plan.
I had a similar situation. I had subscribed to the iCloud storage with my iCloud account. We have a separate account for App Store purchases. I decided to purchase the Apple One subscription under that ID. When I did it asked me if I wanted to use the current iCloud storage for the Apple One subscription. Was concerned that I would have to re-upload everything but didn’t have to.
I would give Apple support a call and ask them how to handle it.
I had the exact same issue (I think). I spent a couple of hours on the phone with support trying to get it worked out before I gave up. Ended up losing access to my iCloud storage based on Apples advice before throwing my hands up and figuring it out myself.
To make a long story short; I ended up setting up family sharing attached to my main iCloud account, and then linked purchases to the iCloud account I use for apps and subscriptions. It finally works as intended!
Have called them many times. No one has heard of this problem.
I am beyond frustrated.
I already have family sharing set up on the iCloud account. If I sign in with my ‘other’ ID (the one with the purchases and subscriptions) there is no option to family share. You can’t be in two families at once apparently.
Another frustration. If I sign as ID2 (subscriptions and purchases) it only gives me 5gb of iCloud, despite me paying for the highest tier of Apple one+.
All of this is a product of the multiple ID no merging allowed fiasco. The worst thing Apple has ever been responsible for. And none of the service people seem to have a clue.
I don’t have the problem but as I heard it described, Apple said “we cater for that” when it comes to multiple Apple IDs and Apple One. I guess not everyone got the memo. I have found senior advisors tend to me a little more “on to it” than the rank and file support and some of the best service I have had has been from some of the Aussie ones (perhaps because we could understand each other more simply).
The trouble with Apple Support is very much the same as with iCloud… when it doesn’t work, there’s nothing much you can do about it.
Our free Apple TV+ ends in July. I’m considering Apple One for a family of 4 (and maybe throw my father in the mix), but am scared to death of messing up our accounts.
Like you - I have all purchases on an old email account, and my AppleID is my iCloud account (Calendars, Notes, Mail, Contacts, 2TB storage shared).
It all worked, to a point. I migrated the original 2Tb icloud that I was paying for on the ‘other’ appleid to the 2Tb icloud that came with the premium subscription, which was on my ‘apple store and purchases’ appleid. The monthly fee for the ‘other’ icloud was reimbursed and discontinued automatically.
I say to a point, because I hadn’t anticipated the transfer using up a whole month’s internet allocation (we were on a limited wireless plan), and I occasionally get emails from apple letting me know my ‘other’ appleid icloud (now busted back to the free 5gb tier) is out of space.
All of this could and should be simpler, better explained and more transparent. The multiple appleid situation is unbearable baggage and not flattering to Apple.