OS X Mac App Store / Apple ID sharing. Your thoughts?

[TheGreatWumpus]

Hello!

I’m conducting some user/community based research in a few different places and wanted to ask people’s thoughts on how easy it is to share your apple ID.

Basically:

Apple is notoriously restrictive, yet it is surprisingly easy to share things you have bought from the Mac app store. There are no serial keys or other forms of simple but useful DRM. I’m the last one to advocate any kind of restrictive DRM policy, I’d just think there would be more here than only being tied to your account. Since you can share your account (and thus every app purchased with it), this is basically pirating at its easiest. And unlike say, Steam, that lets only one person be logged into an account at any given time, your Apple ID has no such restriction.

For example, you could buy Black Ops from the store, then share your Apple ID details with a friend who is then able to download and play the game for free. Not just that game, but access to anything you have ever bought on the App Store, they can download and use. For your family I feel this is fair and makes sense. But it also makes anything from the MAS incredibly easy to pirate and share around to all and sundry.

User questions:

- Is this a good thing?

- Is it too easy to share?

- Should Apple add some form of account restriction more like the way Steam works?

Any and all views on the subject are welcome as long as they are reasonably presented

 

[ScottishCaptain]

- Is this a good thing?

Yes.

- Is it too easy to share?

No.

- Should Apple add some form of account restriction more like the way Steam works?

No.

Steam can go die in a ****ing fire, for all I care. If you think that kind of DRM is acceptable, then you're insane. No company should have the right to take away ALL your purchases without any warning or reason whatsoever, which is precisely what VALVe can do (and has done, just go google anyone who has ever offered to sell their Steam account and see how well that worked out for them).

Apple may be "restrictive" (whatever that means, I've never noticed anything restrictive- I sign in with my Apple ID and things just work, which is what I expect), but I've never heard of them doing anything that extreme. In fact, given their general policies with refunds and stuff, they seem more consumer oriented then VALVe does (who has notoriously horrible customer support).

Also; I'm not sure what kind of study you're doing, but we really don't need people running around saying "omg apple store so ez to pirate lol". Not that Apple is reading these forums, but I really don't need some idiot with an MBA seeing that kind of crap and thinking "Hey, maybe we should do something about that". I like the way the app store and stuff is right now since it generally stays out of my way.

-SC

 

[garnerx]

I don't know why anyone would share an Apple ID just for the sake of pirating some cheap games.

The ID is used for too many other things, such as logging in to a Mac, finding and erasing an iPhone, syncing data across devices, emails, text messages... plus it usually has a credit card associated with it. Sharing it is asking for trouble.

You haven't thought this through - there are easier ways to pirate software than sharing something as useful and personal as an Apple ID.

 

[madeirabhoy]

I don't know why anyone would share an Apple ID just for the sake of pirating some cheap games.

The ID is used for too many other things, such as logging in to a Mac, finding and erasing an iPhone, syncing data across devices, emails, text messages... plus it usually has a credit card associated with it. Sharing it is asking for trouble.

You haven't thought this through - there are easier ways to pirate software than sharing something as useful and personal as an Apple ID.

this.


for the same reason i would never let someone use my steam account.


what i will do, and its within the license, is use my login to install app store stuff on my wife's mac, and also ios app store stuff on all of our ios gadgets.



what i find really annoying with steam is the 'cant have 2 simultaneous logins'.

its not a major thing but its really annoying when im playing civ on my mac, then i want to install something on my pc side using parallels.

 

[dan1eln1el5en]

isn't there a 5 mac limitation of use ?

I had a pirated Final cut at a point (now I'm on legal software only, I was using it to see what the fuzz was about from 7 to X and I decided to go Adobe).
It was registered in some weird Apple ID, so I couldn't update since I didn't know it's password.

it's a waste of time to "share" your Apple ID for this purpose, and you should never ever share Apple ID with other people you don't know really really well (close family).

Personally, I administer some itunes apps, developer access, iTunes, devices etc. from my own private Apple ID, recently I had a App developer asking for me to share my password with them, so they could upload in my name....no sir, you can get your own access with limited access. Since if they had gotten my Apple ID + password, they could disable all my devices, they could download all my paid software, my emails, and perhaps even "back to my mac".
again: Do not share your Apple ID +Password with anyone

 

[Cougarcat]

isn't there a 5 mac limitation of use ?

No, that was for some iTunes content.
MAS is always unlimited.

Wumpus is just talking about amongst friends here--i.e people you'd be comfortable giving your AppleID to. You could always change your password afterwards if you're truly paranoid. This type of piracy has a) always been around (go to the library and check out CDs to rip!) and b) so small-scale it's not worth fighting, especially since all DRM can be circumvented anyway.

And as I mentioned in the other IMG thread, Apple watermarks apps with your AppleID to discourage uploading. That's all that's needed.

 

[dan1eln1el5en]

No, that was for some iTunes content.
MAS is always unlimited.
...
And as I mentioned in the other IMG thread, Apple watermarks apps with your AppleID to discourage uploading. That's all that's needed.

Ok, but anyway, you have to be really comfortable sharing your Apple ID with anyone.

I think parents/kids : OK, Spouses : OK and really-really close friends: OK.

all else : No go.

It's a tad like in the old days where you could share your CD/Diskettes/DVDs with your nearbys, but not really.... except I think you should be more restrictive since it's linked to access to other parts of your Apple-ecosystem.
Just remember how much you might give access to and consider that girlfriends and friends might come and go...

not trying to be paranoid a bout getting caught, a tad paranoid about the unforeseen access you might grant.

 

[LiterallySimon]

Family Sharing

Family Sharing permits you to share eligible iTunes, App Store, Mac App Store, iBooks Store, and iCloud products with a maximum of five other members of your single family (e.g., adults and children) by allowing family members to view and download each others’ eligible products to their Associated Devices.

Problem solved

 

[Dirtyharry50]

I don't know why anyone would share an Apple ID just for the sake of pirating some cheap games.

The ID is used for too many other things, such as logging in to a Mac, finding and erasing an iPhone, syncing data across devices, emails, text messages... plus it usually has a credit card associated with it. Sharing it is asking for trouble.

You haven't thought this through - there are easier ways to pirate software than sharing something as useful and personal as an Apple ID.

That pretty much nails it but I would add that some of us actually care about being honest too. We don't want to rip off Mac game developers and publishers which even at the lowest form of morality would be shooting our own selves in the foot.

While I do not find myself having use for it, I do appreciate that Apple supports sharing among family members and thus adding value to software purchases. I think it is very nice of all those involved in doing that (meaning the developers and publishers too) to allow that among family members in a household. When someone treats you well like that hopefully one wants to be appreciative of it and not abuse it.

 

[edddeduck]

From my view point family sharing is cool and to a certain extend to be expected and I don't see much of an argument against it, however sharing the game among all your friends and only paying once I think is not cool.