Can't download apps onto my Mac Mini - blocked by ancient user account

[Davout]

Many years ago when I first owned an iPad I registered as a user under one particular email address (for the sake of this question let's call it fred@fred.com)



Now even though i am signed in under my current Apple account name (e.g. mycurrent@current.com), when it comes to downloading an app from the App Store onto my mac mini 4, when I select to install the app it presents a login screen using the ancient fred@fred.com account user id.



When I check my account settings on the App store it shows that I am logged in using the current 'mycurrent@current.com' account name.



What's going on? I cant find a way of getting around this, and for the moment I'm blocked from downloading apps.

 

[bogdanw]

You can try to Sign out from System Settings, log in from the App Store with the new account.

 

[Darth.Titan]

I saw something like that years ago with an old email appearing in the login field in the App Store.
I just deleted the incorrect email address from the field and logged in with the correct credentials.
Eventually it stopped.

 

[Fishrrman]

If nothing else helps with this issue, I believe you can "nuke it" and start from "moment zero" again by using the "erase all content and settings" option.

This should clear out all your previous associations with Apple and any prior accounts you had there as well.

BUT... BE AWARE THAT ALL YOUR PERONAL INFO AND DATA WILL BE GONE, as well.

So... YOU MUST be backed up BEFORE you attempt this!

 

[NoBoMac]

Wild guess as I’ve never juggled Apple IDs…

Was the Mini setup via Migration Assistant? Could see problems as apps have a receipt as part of the downloaded app that assigns an app to a particular Apple ID. Thinking apps like Pages, Notes would be prime candidates for this issue as you have to “buy” them and from then on your copy is tied to that ID.

 

[McScooby]

There's 2/3 accounts. Years ago you used to be able to have 1 account as your Apple ID and a different one(s) for the App Store / iTunes.

More recently apple have allowed folk to merge the ID's into one where it takes all your purchases from the Fred one & transfer them to the mycurrent one.

Now this doesn't neccessarily help you as you're saying you can't remember the Fred password (if I've got you correct?)

All it means is that although both ID's show as current on the pad (ID & App Store) it means that at some point in the past you've bought apps on the pad via the Fred a/c or you've got it set to auto download apps to the pad when you've bought them on the mini.

Only solution I can think of is to reset your password on the Fred one, then sign into the Mac/Pad & pick sign out of all devices (which will then make it apparent which ones on the pad are bought with the Fred a/c) & you can then redownload the free apps and re-purchase them on your new account.

Alternatively take advantage of the merge id's as by that point you'll know the Fred password (esp if you've bought apps under Fred)

Failing that, maybe reach out to apple & get their take as fundamentally all it is, is a forgotten password & hopefully you've both the pad & mini set-up as 2FA to get round it to try it on first.

 

[Ruggy]

Are you blocked from downloading all apps or just one or two and has this just happened recently?
If it's an app you previously bought on the old account and you are trying to restore it, that's normal. I've seen this many times on family sharing where one person has bought or downloaded, we then want to put it on a new device and it requires the original log in even though no one uses it any more. But not for every app
And why now? Are you trying to restore something?
I would just sign out and sign in again and see if that sorts it out because with purchases that does sometimes solve it.

 

[Le Big Mac]

I'm kind of assuming loading the app from your current account isn't desirable because you'd have to pay again?

 

[dwrufus53]

Can you set the older account up as a member of your Family Share? You should be able to authorize all Family Share members to share purchases, and it should solve this issue.

 

[NoBoMac]

That's an idea, but, isn't there an invitation that the member account needs to accept? From sound of things, OP might not be able to accept via old account.

(Only setup Family Sharing once for a relative so details are hazy in my mind)

 

[dwrufus53]

That's an idea, but, isn't there an invitation that the member account needs to accept? From sound of things, OP might not be able to accept via old account.

(Only setup Family Sharing once for a relative so details are hazy in my mind)

I think so, but didn't see OP say that he didn't have access to the older account.

 

[NoBoMac]

I'm assuming based on the "blocked from downloading" comment.