Apple ID on multiple devices

rsamlan

I have three apple products linked with the same apple ID- My Iphone 4s, my daughter's itouch 4, and our ipad3. When they are linked all apple messages, (texts between apple devices) show up on all three devices. If I text my friends or family on their iphones the messages show up on my daughter's itouch. To solve this problem, I turned the apple message feature off on her itouch, but I would like it if she had the ability to apple message members of our family. Is there a way to do this if we continue to share an apple ID? Also, is there a way for me to limit the people she can message on her itouch?

John

I found this article, which has lots of good information:

http://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-5-icloud-tips-sharing-an-apple-id-with-your-family/

I've never tried it, but it looks like you might be able to create her a specific Apple ID just for messaging, put that e-mail ID only in the "Messages" setting (i.e. get rid of the old one), and then use your regular ID for everything else. If you read the article, you might decide there are other areas where the personal ID should be used as well. You might even want to use it for everything but music and apps (or whatever it is you want to continue sharing between everyone).

Also, I'd make sure the iPod Touch is updated to the latest OS, because the segregated ability to designate IDs might not exist in previous versions. Also, make sure iCloud is turned on and configured, otherwise the settings you make may not work properly.

Even if this works, you'll probably be fighting an uphill battle in the future, because an Apple ID is technically meant for a single user, and to represent a single user's universe. Using one for multiple people will always require some tweaking, and probably inevitably have some flaws, because by default it's always going to try to give every device involved all the same information and deliver a uniform experience.

Let me know how it goes!

John