You can finally transfer purchases between Apple accounts: Here's how
What's the story
Apple has launched a new feature to let you transfer your purchased content, including apps and music, from one Apple account to another.
The tech giant announced the update via a support document on its website.
However, do note that this new capability is different from the existing Family Sharing feature, which lets family members access apps, books, and movies purchased by anyone in the group.
User convenience
New feature targets users with multiple Apple accounts
The purchase transfer feature is particularly useful for those who use two Apple Accounts for different purposes on their devices.
Usually, these users have a primary account for iCloud and other services and a secondary one for the App Store and media purchases.
This update finally solves the long-standing user demand for a way to transfer purchases between accounts without sharing anything else.
Eligibility requirements
Apple sets strict criteria for purchase transfer
Apple has detailed a strict set of eligibility criteria for this new feature.
The purchase transfer is not available to users in the European Union, United Kingdom, or India.
The accounts involved in the transfer must be set to the same country and region, have two-factor authentication and valid payment methods enabled, and Family Sharing must be deactivated.
Transfer limitations
Restrictions on transferring purchases from certain accounts
The company has also clarified that purchases cannot be transferred from locked, disabled, deleted, or deactivated accounts.
Also, purchase migration is not possible unless the user's primary account has been used for purchases or downloads at least once.
These restrictions ensure only active and compliant users can utilize this new feature.
Migration process
Steps to migrate purchases between Apple accounts
To transfer purchases from one Apple Account to another, users first have to open the Settings app and tap on their Apple Account name.
Then, they select "Media and Purchases" and scroll down until they see the "Migrate Purchases" option.
After reviewing account information for both primary and secondary accounts, users will receive confirmation emails on both accounts once their purchases have been successfully migrated.