iPhone 3.0: On-Device App Download from Multiple iTunes Accounts?
We mentioned the new Store Setting tab just a short time ago. daveizzle on Twitter made the observation that this functionality makes it seem like you could theoretically sign into one account, download apps, sign out, sign into another account, and download apps from that account as well, all onto the same iPhone or iPod touch. Boom. Support for multiple iTunes accounts right on the device.
Why would that be interesting? Say your spouse had already bought a $9.99 app. App Store lets the same account re-download that app to the iPhone without a second charge, so it becomes a way to “share” applications (as long as you trust the person enough to put your iTunes password into their device). Another scenario would be a UK users wanting to download a US-only app. They could log into a US account, download the region-restricted app, then log out and log back into their own, local account.
Note: This has been possible all along via syncing from iTunes. Any apps downloaded from any account would transfer over to the iPhone. This merely extends the purchase and/or download process to the iPhone, further releasing iTunes tethered hold.
(Of course, since you can’t re-download music for free, and you can’t download movie or TV show videos directly to the iPhone, this pertains only to App Store content — likely to prevent Big Media heads from ’sploding).
April 29th, 2009 at 5:13 am
Nice, i will be able to use my US account on the phone
April 29th, 2009 at 5:15 am
I’ve been long awaiting this feature because I had an old account that I used to share with my dad and have a few paid apps and now don’t have now i’ve got my own account and have some paid apps.
April 29th, 2009 at 7:22 am
are there no piracy issues here?
sign in with your account on someone elses phone, redownload the apps, sign out and change your password. end result both you and your “friend” have the app?!?
granted this is great that people will be able to use a us account when needed winks at rene but without good protection it could be quite a problem
April 29th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Maybe iTunes will bind the downloaded app to the specific iPhone at first sync, alas no piracy?
April 29th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Good News, I don’t like to have to sync my phone every time I want to download an app from my US Account. Too bad they can’t do it for iTunes store as well but I can understand for reasons mentioned by others.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
my friend is a developer and he sent me the itunes 8.2 file but when I open the file up and ready to install it says itunes 8.1.1. ?
is this is what it supposed to say?
April 30th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
more important is the ability to activate and use an iPhone with out ever needing to own/have a computer. This is really important for growth to the masses