Flash Gordon

My problem is: my wife purchased her iPad many years ago. I then purchased an iPad a few years ago. She then purchased an iPad Pro a few years ago. I then purchased a MacBook Pro a few years ago. She then purchased an iPhone 8 a couple of years ago. All of these Apple products were registered in her name with her Apple ID. Last week I purchases an iPhone SE and registered it in my name with my own Apple ID. The issue is, because all of the products prior to my iPhone SE were registered in her name with her ID everything communicates very well together, just as it should. That's why we went with these Apple products. Now I would like to change the ownership of my iPad to me with my Apple ID. We now have so much stuff commingled on each of our iPads I do not want to lose all of the stuff on my iPad with a mere ownership/ID change. I would like everything on my iPad to remain as it is until I decide to remove it. I also do not want anything on her iPad to disappear unless she actively decides to remove it. All this stuff includes, among other things, eMails, Books, Music, special apps which I use, but she does not and other stuff. Another cool thing is when we change an entry on one iPad the change also happens on the other. When a phone call comes in on her iPhone it appears on both of our iPads. But, when a phone call comes in on my new iPhone it does not show on either iPad. I am thinking that when this ownership change occurs her phone calls will show only on her iPad and mine will show only on my iPad. We would like use the family sharing feature.

Can any Apple experts guide me to making this change without messing it all up?

saichiez Loc: Beautiful Central Oregon

SOL! One of the many reasons I never touch Apple......

Apple ID is registered solely on the Apple ID server for each device. None of the ID info can be changed at the device level. Take to to an Apple Juice Bar or other to be bluntly told NO!

pep9454

Call Apple. They've got great customer service and will walk you through whatever changes you need.

One thing they can't do is to 'combine Apple ID's'.

800-275-2273

Horatio

I took over an iPad and changed the user. Each year, I sell my iPads, and the new owner sets up the iPad as a new user with none of my information anywhere on the device. When I first had it done, I called Apple Care and they helped me accomplish what I needed to do. It was a matter of backing up the iPad to a Time Capsule or other hard drive. Then return the device to the factory settings. You can then bring in the photographs, messages, or other information that you want to have on the iPad.

What I would do is call Apple Care and when you are connected with an agent, request a senior manager. They are usually the most experienced. With this virus, there are a number of new telephone agents, and a senior manager can help you with this.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

All that anger...... what he can do is to go into his settings menu and add a family member - his wife. He will then have access to all the info in their cloud storage and backup.
It’s the Family Sharing tab in the Apple ID section at the top of the settings menu.

Horatio

Thank you for mentioning this. I had completely forgotten all about Family Sharing. I had focused on the change of the user name. This is terrific advice.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

At one time I broke my iPhone, so my wife and I went to the Verizon dealer and they were able to put a new SIM card into her old phone that changed it into into my "new" phone. I believe that the owner may not be able to change anything, but perhaps either the carrier or Apple can make the desired change.

Horatio

The owner can change any Apple device by returning it to the factory settings, then setting it up as a new device. Then you can put any user on the device you wish. This is what happens every time I sell an iPad, iPhone or MacBook Pro. I wipe them clean down to the factory settings.

What I had totally forgotten was the Family Sharing option. It was a terrific idea.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

dpfoto Loc: Cape Coral, FL

I bought an iPad 4 or 5 years ago. Kept it for about 3 months before selling it. I replaced it with a Microsoft Surface Pro. I like the Surface much better.

I know... Both systems have problems;
Windows have bugs, and Apples have worms.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I absolutely hate Apple's obsession with passwords and IDs. They require too many passwords - the computer, the store, and the iCloud, at least. No matter what I want to do, Apple wants a password, and it's never right. When I try to change it, it tells me that I used that one before, and I can't use it again. I have two desktops and a laptop, and using them can be frustrating. One thing I especially hate is having to enter a password in order to download something - which means I can't download anything.

When I have a few hours to kill, I'll try to straighten out all my Apple passwords and paint those words on the wall.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

In addition to the many suggestions already proffered, you can set up a 'Family Sharing' on your devices. I don't remember the steps but they are well documented.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'm not going to take a chance on trying that, but wouldn't that defeat the purpose of passwords? If I can steal an iPad and simply reset it, there's no security for the owner.

pep9454

There is a program where it will automatically create passwords and store them internally. It will auto fill your password and all you have to remember is one master password. It’s a great little program and it’s next to impossible to hack it. I have a close friend who is a computer genius and this is what he installed on my computers, iPad, and phones. It is called Last Pass. Google it and I would highly recommend it.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

I bought my first iPad, an open box item, from Best Buy. When trying to set it up, I ran into all kinds of problems including registering for warranty support. It finally took a three way call between myself, the BB store, and Apple tech support to get things settled. No problems after that.