Migrate Purchase is a new feature that has been introduced by Apple that allows users to migrate their digital purchases and media data from one Apple account to another. The tool will be useful for users who are either using a legacy account since they previously made purchases on the account or those who find managing two accounts cumbersome. With the new feature users can now consolidate the data into a single account and forego the secondary Apple account.
If an Apple Account is only used for making purchases, those purchases can be migrated to a primary Apple Account to consolidate them.
In this article, we will guide you on how to migrate purchases from one Apple account to another.
Migrate purchases from one Apple Account to another Apple Account
Notably, Migrate Purchase is an optional feature and Apple users can choose whether to migrate their accounts or not. With this tool one can migrate apps, music and other content that have been purchased from Apple on a secondary Apple Account to a primary Apple Account. The secondary Apple Account may be an account that’s only used for purchases.
Things to do before you migrate purchases
- Make sure you’ve signed in with two different accounts on your iPhone or iPad.
- In Settings, tap your name. You’ll see a different Apple Account displayed under Media & Purchases if you have a different account signed in for purchases. (If you can’t see a different Apple Account here, tap Media & Purchases, then tap Sign Out. After you’ve signed out, tap Media & Purchases, then choose “Not [your name]?” to sign in to a different Apple Account.)
- Make sure the secondary Apple Account isn’t a part of a different Family Sharing group, and that it’s not being used for Purchase Sharing.
- Turn on Two-Factor Authentication for both accounts.
- Make sure both accounts are set to the same country and region for purchases.
- Spend any balance remaining on your secondary Apple Account.
- Wait for any rentals or pre-orders to be completed on your secondary Apple Account. You can cancel a pre-order.
- Wait up to 15 days since the last purchase on the secondary account.
- Make sure to have your payment method on file nearby. You’ll have to verify the payment method from the secondary Apple Account in order to migrate purchases. Additionally, the secondary account cannot have any issues with the payment method on file.
- Update your iPhone or iPad to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
Migrate purchases from one Apple Account to another
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your name, then tap Media & Purchases.
- Tap View Account. You may be asked to sign in.
- Scroll down, then tap Migrate Purchases.
- Review the information about both accounts, then follow prompts to complete the migration of purchases to the primary account.
- When complete, you’ll see “Purchases Have Been Migrated”. The email addresses associated with both accounts will also receive a confirmation email.
- Make sure you check your Media & Purchases settings, sign out of the secondary Apple Account and then sign in with the primary Apple Account.
Note: You may not see Migrate Purchases if you’re not eligible.
Also Read: Apple Watch Guide: How To Change Apple Account Settings On Wearables
After purchase migration, sign out of the secondary Apple Account on all of your devices
If you used the secondary Apple Account for Media & Purchases on any other devices – including Apple TV, HomePod, or other devices with the Apple TV app or Apple Music app – sign out of the secondary Apple Account. Then sign in with the primary Apple Account that the purchases were migrated to. The secondary Apple Account can no longer be used for Media & Purchases.
