HT4436 one apple ID for 2 people?

Question

My husband and i have a mac and 2 ipod shuffles. We both use one Apple ID to use iTunes to purchase music since we both like the same music. We want to get iPhones, but can we both access that iTunes acct on the phones while having separate AppleIDs to use to purchase apps? If I use the original ID (since it is my email address) and he opens his own ID, then will we both be able to access the same icloud with all of our music? What if he purchases a song under his account - will I not be able to access it?

Answer 1

You can share an Apple ID for purchasing music and apps but signing into the same ID in Settings>Store (Settings>iTunes & App Stores in iOS 6) on your iOS devices.  However, it's usually more desirable to maintain separate IDs for iCloud.  If you use the same iCloud account, all data you sync with this account (contacts, calendars, etc.) will be merged and will appear on all devices signed into this account.  For example, if you sync contacts with the same iCloud account, you would end up with each others contacts on both phones.  Also, you are not required to use the same ID for purchasing as you do for other services such as iCloud, iMessage and FaceTime (so you could continue to share the same account for purchasing while maintaining separate accounts for iCloud).  You will also want to set up different IDs for iMessage and FaceTime to avoid getting each other's messages and FaceTime calls.  This article may be of interest: http://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-5-icloud-tips-sharing-an-apple-id-with-you r-family/.