Possible Solution for Merging Apple ID with MobileMe

[iammike1]

Ok, a few pieces of info I've been reading kinda came together just now and I think I know how Apple plans to deal with the many people who already had Apple ID's that do not match their MobileMe account.

1. When setting up iCloud on the iOS5 beta, you are NOT allowed to use a MobileMe account. You have to use a non MobileMe Apple ID and if you don't have one, you have to create one.

2. In one of the emails I've gotten from Apple today about the iCloud, one contains the following. "When you sign up for iCloud, you'll be able to keep your MobileMe email address and move your mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service."

Conclusion: Apple is going to merge the remains of MobileMe into your iCloud account. Your iCloud account can not originate from a MobileMe account.

Example: I setup iCloud with my abc@gmail.com Apple ID. I then tell it to convert my abc@me.com MobileMe Apple ID into the new iCloud then bringing over my abc@me.com address as well as my mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks.

Remaining Question: Will the iCloud Apple ID then be converted to the MobileMe address?

That's where I'm placing my bets anyway...considering the information currently available.

 

[AtomicEdge]

I don't think you have it right I'm afraid.

There is a mobileme page over at http://www.me.com/upgrade that implies your mobileme account will just become an iCloud account.

For the developer preview however, they probably just wanted clean accounts to be used for testing, and likely don't have the methods for exporting e-mails and cals over yet.

Also, I doubt they would want Dev's MobileMe accounts getting screwed up and them losing e-mails and things.

 

[Daffyhouse]

I may have just posed this question 10 seconds ago. But thank you for the information.

I honestly believe Apple hasn't resolved how to handle this situation yet, and the best thing we can do is make sure they are aware of the issue so they can build in a resolution for the iOS5 launch.

 

[RobS-UK]

I've been running some scenarios through my mind and this doesn't sound too bad and was along the lines of the ideal solution I had hoped for.

That solution would be that my iTunes AppleID would become the iCloud ID, and that my MobileMe account could be consolidated into that. This might also explain why MobileMe has been frozen at this time with no changes to IDs, aliase, and new sign ups.

The only areas where problems may exist are where people have purchased using both an iTunes generated ID, and a MM account. As the details of the purchasing account are embedded into the songs when downloaded then it might be a case of people having to download the songs with the new data if the account is merged. I suspect this will be a smaller number than those of us with the main 2 IDs issue.

Be interesting to see how MobileMe aliases feed into the process of course. I believe I am right in thinking that a MobileMe alias attached to a main account is NOT an Apple ID...

 

[iammike1]

I believe I am right in thinking that a MobileMe alias attached to a main account is NOT an Apple ID...

Correct, it is not an Apple ID and you can not make it one under the current rule set.

 

[glwinkler]

Umm.... yeah. So I just made the mistake of using the new Mobile.com/move site to move my .me account to iCloud.

My calendars and contacts were on my .me account.

My apple id with my dev/itunes account is a non MobileMe account. Now when I go to MobileMe i can access any of it and it's not associated with my dev account so I can't access any of it through iCloud.

I should have thought about that before clicking that button.

Hopefully this helps someone else.

P.S. There is NO way to merge apple ids.

 

[glwinkler]

Umm.... yeah. So I just made the mistake of using the new Mobile.com/move site to move my .me account to iCloud.

My calendars and contacts were on my .me account.

My apple id with my dev/itunes account is a non MobileMe account. Now when I go to MobileMe i can access any of it and it's not associated with my dev account so I can't access any of it through iCloud.

I should have thought about that before clicking that button.

Hopefully this helps someone else.

P.S. There is NO way to merge apple ids.

My MobileMe account is not connected to my dev/apple id account, but I just signed into iCloud with it. Hmm...

 

[glwinkler]

I figured it out!

I did a restore. Signed into iCloud. Then signed out of the store in the store settings and signed in with my apple ID that has my iTunes account associated with it!

 

[AML225]

That's what I've done too but that's not really the solution we were all hoping for.

 

[vitzr]

The solution is to simply accept the fact that like some of the other controls that Apple puts into place this is one of them, they are not going to allow accounts to be merged. If you have two now, you will continue to have two.

 

[jackrv]

What about this case: My appleid is a MobileMe account. Will that transfer to icloud?

 

[djon41]

What happens when you erase or discontinue a MobileMe account? Does the @me.com address associated with that account become free to re-use?

 

[shandyman]

What about this case: My appleid is a MobileMe account. Will that transfer to icloud?

yes. there is a process in place for you to migrate the mobileme account to iCloud. you have to wait til official launch tho as currently there's glitches if you get it to migrate.

What happens when you erase or discontinue a MobileMe account? Does the @me.com address associated with that account become free to re-use?

yep, expired ones are re-usable. You can do it on launch, or now if you're a dev, but there are still bugs

 

[macman312]

So if I have a .mac account I never upgraded to mobile me because I didn't use the online calendar services till this year. I'd rather not get a new mac address because the one I have is quite good it is my firstnamelastname@mac.com which i'd quite like to keep... Is there anyway of doing this?